Swati Chaturvedi has been accused of plagiarizing an article by Zia Haq, Associate Editor at Hindustan Times. The article in question was on Himanta Biswa Sarma, the star of North East credited with the BJP’s meteoric rise not only in Assam but the entire region.
A para from .@bainjal ‘s piece on Assam politician Himanta Biswa Sarma on .@ndtv site today (left). My piece on the same politician on 03 May published on .@HTTweets (right). pic.twitter.com/Je214jJscA
— Zia Haq (@ziahaq) May 8, 2021
The May 3rd article by Zia Haq said of Sarma, “HBS successfully plotted a BJP coup in Arunachal Pradesh, upstaging the Congress. He toppled the Congress, the single largest party in Manipur, stitching up a BJP-led alliance in 2017. He cut political deals leading to a non-Congress government in Meghalaya too. In Nagaland, HBS was instrumental in making rival fronts, the Naga People’s Front and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, tie up with the BJP.”
Swati Chaturvedi’s article on 7th of May said, “He plotted a coup in Arunachal Pradesh, upstaging the Congress. He toppled the Congress, the single-largest party in Manipur, stitching up a BJP alliance in 2017. His deal-making ensured a BJP government in Meghalaya as well. In Nagaland, Sarma, universally known as “HBS”, was the key figure in the alliance between the Naga People’s Front, the National Democratic Progressive Party and the BJP.”
While Zia Haq does not say it explicitly, the implications of the screenshots are pretty clear. It was interpreted as such by people on social media who considered it a clear case of plagiarism.
Looks like clear case of copy and paste https://t.co/zsr3COt1Pf
— Ramesh Mehta (@Artistmania) May 8, 2021
Plagiarism. https://t.co/dtOpZbtKQU
— Aniket Singh (@singhaniket) May 8, 2021
BJP functionary Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale also chimed in.
No comments needed https://t.co/OPgO94VOeV
— Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale (@vijai63) May 8, 2021
Swati Chaturvedi has been accused of plagiarism in the past as well. She was accused of plagiarizing tweets by journalist Stanley Pignal of the The Economist.