Stop blabbering: Thackeray tells Rahul

Kicking up a political storm in the country,a leaked US diplomatic cable quotes Rahul Gandhi as saying that Hindu radical groups pose a bigger threat to India than the Lashkar-e-Toiba as they create “religious tensions” with the Muslim community.

In a conversation with US Ambassador Timothy Roemer in July last year,Rahul Gandhi is quoted as saying that while there is evidence of local support for the LeT in India,the greater threat for the country is the growth of radicalism within the Hindu community.

“Responding to the Ambassador’s query about Lashkar-e-Toiba’s activities in the region and immediate threat to India,Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India’s indigenous Muslim community. However,Gandhi warned,the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalized Hindu groups,which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community,” stated the leaked cable. The cable is based on a conversation between Roemer and Rahul on July 20 last year during a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.