New Delhi: Billionaire Elon Musk has come in support for Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, backing her stance on the controversial remark made by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday. The comment, which used the generic term “Asian” in reference to a child sexual abuse scandal involving predominantly Pakistani heritage men in various northern English towns, sparked widespread public outcry.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, who is a leader of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction, pointed out in a post on X that these aren’t “Asian”, but are “Pakistani grooming gangs”.
“Repeat after me, they aren’t ASIAN Grooming Gangs but PAKISTANI grooming gangs,” said Priyanka Chaturvedi in a post on X. Elon Musk replied to it: “True”. “Why should Asians take the fall for one absolute rogue nation?” Chaturvedi’s post read.
Repeat after me, they aren’t ASIAN Grooming Gangs but PAKISTANI grooming gangs.
Why should Asians take the fall for one absolute rogue nation?
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) January 8, 2025
What is the grooming gang controversy?
The opposition Conservative Party has demanded a fresh national probe into decades-old sexual offences against children, mostly white British girls, in northern England. The debate has garnered significant attention after US tech billionaire Elon Musk initiated a series of blistering attacks against Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the issue on his platform X.
Demands for such an inquiry have been vehemently advocated for years by far-right bodies, outlining the widespread sexual abuse of mostly white British girls by men of predominantly Pakistani heritage in several northern English towns.
Starmer has turned down calls for a new inquiry, emphasising that the focus should be on taking “action” to implement the recommendations from a previous, comprehensive seven-year probe, which offered nearly two dozen suggestions for addressing the issue.
On Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that he had reopened all cases related to child sexual abuse scandals and oversaw the first prosecution of an “Asian grooming gang” in Rochdale, north-west England, during his tenure as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 2008 to 2013.
Many Indian diaspora groups in the UK have raised objections to the use of the generic term “Asian” regarding a historic child sexual abuse scandal in various parts of England, which predominantly involved gangs of men of Pakistani heritage.
In a statement, Network of Sikh Organisations: “This use of the vague reference to ‘Asian’ grooming gangs is extremely disappointing from the Prime Minister. Part of the problem with this issue has been a fear of not speaking openly about the ethnicity and (or) religion of the majority of perpetrators. This has, in some instances, made it worse for the victims. This is a matter of significant public interest, and criminality that has impacted our communities too.”
