Targeting Gandhi VIPs

The lengths that Prem Rawat’s followers will go to ensure that their master’s veneer of legitimacy  is maintained has been revealed to include arrant duplicity.

A London Legal firm,  Paul Robert’s Solicitors[[1]], serving as organisers for a Fundraising event claimed to be benefiting the Gandhi Foundation[[2]], sought the involvement of supporters of Prem Rawat; this same firm was behind the organisation of an event at London’s Guildhall  in  May 2007. According to the London Evening Standard[[3]], a Trustee of the UK Elan Vital organisation [[4]] which promotes Prem Rawat, accountant Roland Klepzig,  wrote to selected followers of Prem Rawat regarding the Gandhi Foundation event in terms that:

1) Attendees at the Gandhi Foundation event were, by arrangement with the organisers,  to view a DVD of Prem Rawat speaking.

2) Attendees at the event were to be given ‘goody bags’ containing  a DVD of Prem Rawat speaking at London’s Guildhall, an authorized biography of Prem Rawat and a 34 page booklet promoting the Prem Rawat Foundation as a humanitarian charity.

3) The event would be attended by diplomats, politicians, celebrities and very influential and wealthy business people who would be exposed to Rawat’s message for the first time.

4) The event would be a “unique networking opportunity” at which followers could act as “discrete ambassadors” on Rawat’s behalf amongst this “most influential group of people”.

5) Followers were encouraged to attend the event to secure it’s ‘success’ and to discretely provide support to Rawat’s message.

Although Rawat claims to be non sectarian, his discourses have frequently made reference to the Baghavagita, a work that is not only revered by fundamentalist Hindu’s who detested Gandhi but a work which is inimical to Gandhi’s pacifist stance. Rawat’s own lifestyle of opulence and consumption is diametrically opposed to everything that Gandhi stood for and for Rawat’s followers to seek to subvert the Gandhi Foundation event to their own ends seems not only dishonest but a grotesque insult to the memory of the ‘father of India’. 

Responding to a journalist’s inquiries, spokesman for the UK Elan Vital, James Shaw said the  “fact is we are not a cult and we do not behave in cult-like ways”. The bizarre ‘entryist’ attempt that appears to have been encouraged by Mr Shaw’s colleague, Roland Klepzig, would seem to suggest that in fact Prem Rawat’s followers do behave in “cult-like ways”. In respect of the earlier Guildhall event an Elan Vital spokesman was quoted as saying “'There is no question of it being used in any way to raise money or recruit”[[5] ]while in a further twist Elan Vital itself publicly quotes the principal organiser of both the Guild Hall[[6]] and Gandhi Foundation events, Mr Paul Bloomfield, in terms that appear to indicate a degree of partiality toward Prem Rawat. [[7]]

References.

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[1] Paul Roberts Solicitors

[2] Gandhi Foundation

[3] London Evening Standard Article dated November 30, 2007. [Text]

[4] Elan Vital

[5] London Evening Standard Article dated May 31, 2007.

[6] Giving from the Heart/Brooke Newell de Gunzburg - Wikisource

“Before introducing our next guest, I’d like to just take this opportunity to thank a few people. Firstly, the Lord Mayor, the Sheriff and the cooperation of London for very kindly having this event here in this beautiful hall. The staff at Mansion House and at Guild Hall for their very kind assistance. Councilman Kevin Everett for all his great help in making this event possible. And Paul Robert’s solicitors—in particular, Paul Bloomfield, for the very remarkable contribution they’ve made towards the preparation of this event in recent months.”

[7] Thousands Welcome Prem Rawat’s Message in Hamburg

 Paul Bloomfield, a lawyer who traveled from London to attend the event, said: [of Prem Rawat]“He’s brought such a richness to my life, such a quality. It wouldn’t matter how much money you had, you couldn’t buy this feeling.”