Exclusive Interview: Part 1

(22nd January 2004)

(NDTV studio, Mumbai)

"Welcome to NDTV. Today, we are face to face with Shreya Gandhi. Shreya ji, thank you for agreeing for the interview."

"No no no no! Thank you for having me here."

"Hahaha! Shreya ji, before we start the interview, please tell us about your life before politics. You completed your 12th at the age of just 15, with 93%. And then went to Harvard. How did you do that? And, did it have any affects on your family dynamics?"

"Well, there are all kinds of children. Some experience their growth spurt in mind early, and some later. I just experienced my growth spurt a little bit early.

And regarding college, I actually tried to get into IIM first, but wasn't able to. Perhaps due to donations, I was able to get into Harvard. Mummy got me admission there, so I don't know if money was involved or not."

"...Are you saying that Harvard gets donations?"

"Look, that's the problem. Colleges like Stanford, Harvard, are good at branding. And we fall for it. It is corrupt, but is still better than IITs and IIMs because the learning pattern is different, and it attracts talents from all around the world, which our colleges don't."

"How was your experience in the university, and US as a whole?"

"Well... I would say it was pretty, so-so? In uni, I was majoring from Political Science and Management. And in Political Science, we have lots of debates.

But the atmosphere there was, weird. It was like an echo-chamber like JNU.

There was this debate about how to solve the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

I reiterated the UN solution that was given. First was for Pakistani troops to withdraw completely, which they haven't been followed until now, and they weren't pressured by the international community due to their personal interests.

Since it is Pakistan that is not following the solution, we don't need to cooperate with them on anything.

I proposed the solution that whoever wants to go to Pakistan are free to go there. India wouldn't genocide them like ISI influenced stone-pelters genocided Hindus, and are doing with the help of the J&K government. Then, India will take full control over J&K as it was supposed to.

Laddakh will get their separate state as they have been demanding, as Union Territory for a decade or two to settle things.

And Jammu and Kashmir will then have a plebicite after 20 years of Union government's rule as a UT. All the Kashmiri Hindus who had to flee the region will be settled down and their properties will be restored as well.

And if Pakistan doesn't agree to the solution, forget about the treaties since it has also been ignoring all the treaties and solutions that were agreed upon. What are Pakistani troops still doing in Kashmir?

Cut off all food exports from India, divert all the water to our Punjab which has been facing water shortage, and let the terrorist country rot.

While I was obviously a hot blooded teenager back then, and the suggestions if implemented would have led to war, it wasn't like what I said didn't have the truth.

Pakistan has not followed through with the UN suggestion.

Anyway, it was then I realised something. Nobody is interested in solving the issue.

Back then, 9/11 didn't happen yet, which we all know was a Pakistan sponsored attack, both by funding the Mujahideen, and I assure you it is most likely protecting Osama Bin Laden, as it is protecting hundreds of terrorists. Pakistani military is a terrorist supplier as a whole, using US's money to carry out terrorist attacks on India and Afghanistan and make themselves filthy rich.

Anyway, internationally back then, mainly the west, India was pretty isolated, and no one cares what happens thousands of kilometers away in Asia. Pakistan was created as a puppet state for UK, and it is a puppet of US and China.

And it was an echo chamber constructed by CIA and Arab oil money.

I was pretty disturbed by all the propaganda I had to go through. Savarkar was described as 'Hindutva terrorist behind assassination of Gandhi', Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a 'local ruler', and many, many things.

That's why I completed my degree early and came back. And I couldn't handle the racism I had to go through. 'Cow piss drinker'. 'Smelly Indian', 'Dirty Indian', 'Slum dog'.

And you know what? They smelled horrible. They don't even use water after using toilet! But do I discriminate against them? It's their culture, I shouldn't speak about it. But most of the countries in the world don't respect us. They openly mock us.

They shout racism when someone does something to blacks. But they have now shifted their major target to Indians. I couldn't sue anyone for racism there. Indians are a decriminalised group in western countries. And our own people will still settle there. Just learn the tech there, and return to India to start your own companies. Participate in politics to bring a change to the country.

Honestly, I am kind of glad that I went to Harvard, so I got to know about the reality of US, and how we are viewed. Internationally, our standing is even worse than Africans. And we don't even complain when we receive racist remarks. You would be instantly sued and cancelled if you say N-word. But 'Cow piss drinker' isn't considered C-word. And another several racist remarks aren't even considered to be racist."

The interviewer was silent for some time, and then questioned,"Osama Bin Laden is in Pakistan? Then US is having 'War on Terror' in Iraq-"

"There won't be any weapons of mass destruction. In the Iran-Iraq war, USA knew that Saddam Hussain used chemical weapons. But as soon as he wasn't useful, they invaded Iraq. Because they know that 9/11 is their failure.

If you raise and feed snakes, you can't expect them to not bite you back. Who funded the Mujahideen? Who funded Pakistan's terror camps? Who funded Pakistan's agenda to spread extremism and terrorism?

Thousands of terrorist leaders are roaming freely in Pakistan, protected by the military. Osama is either in Afghanistan or Pakistan, and most likely protected by Pakistani military, which USA has fed and nurtured.

The only reason USA isn't blaming Pakistan is because of the fear that their puppet will become China's puppet."

"That's some serious allegations, ha ha ha."

The inteviewer looked pretty nervous. And then, he jumped to the next question.

"You have mentioned scrapping Article 370 and get justice for Kashmiri Hindus. Would you elaborate on that?"

"What's there to elaborate? If you read the constitution, you will get to know that it was an aim for Article 370 to be scrapped some years. Those 'some' years have become decades. And my father, grandmother, and great-grandmother, did nothing despite having majority governments.

First of all, there wasn't even a need to go to UN. Was great-grandfather stupid to believe that they will suggest a solution in India's favour? Honestly, I cannot for the life of me understand his thinking for rejecting UNSC seat in 1955 which came without any provision to replace ROC.

Then, I can't understand why didn't grandmother take back PoK during 1971 war, when Pakistan was weak.

Kargil war was so close, so I can't even blame Vajpayee ji.

I want to fix the things that my family ruined. There is no peaceful solution for Pakistan. We have to completely cut-off the terrorist country. Until it is a puppet of its army, and until its own people rise against its army, peace is impossible. We have tried so many times. What happened every time?

If world opposes scrapping of Article 370, let them. If Kashmiri government opposes, let them. I don't understand why Pakistanis like Farroq and Mehbuba aren't arrested yet. They are clearly, on camera, Pakistani. They should be put into jail and executed for taking so many lives, and making Jammu and Kashmir from heaven on earth to a bloody hell.

Whoever opposes scrapping of Article 370 is a coward, Anti-National, and wants to keep the Kashmir issue ongoing for political gains. Its one of the main reasons I left the Congress Party and haven't talked to my family from days."