BJP Leader, Twitterati Slam Gambhir’s Support of Gurugram Victim
Calling the incident ‘deplorable’, Gambhir quoted songs by Javed Akhtar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra in his tweet.
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East Delhi MP-elect and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir, who faced backlash on Twitter after he condemned the alleged attack of a Muslim man in Gurugram as “deplorable,” said that “trolls and critics are not a problem.”
Speaking to The Indian Express, Gambhir said he would “continue to live in black and white”, and that “it is easier to say the truth rather than hide behind the froth of falsehood”.
In a tweet, he quoted songs by lyricist Javed Akhtar and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra in his tweet, condemning the incident.
The 25-year-old Muslim victim on Saturday, 25 May, had alleged that his skullcap was removed, and that he was forced to chant Jai Shri Ram.
In another tweet later, Gambhir said that “any oppression based on caste/religion is deplorable.”
‘Why No Tweet on BJP Worker Getting Killed’
However, a section of Delhi BJP leaders expressed their reservation over Gambhir’s tweet and said Gambhir's words may be used against the saffron party.
"Gambhir is no longer a cricketer and he should realise that his words and actions will be seen through the prism of politics. Nobody likes such incidents but what is the use of commenting on an incident in Haryana which may be used against the BJP by other parties," PTI quoted a senior Delhi BJP leader as saying.
The cricketer-turned politician also received a lot of flak on Twitter for his comments.
Gambhir, who joined the BJP before the recent Lok Sabha polls, contested from East Delhi seat and defeated Congress's Arvinder Singh Lovely by 3.91 lakh votes.
What Had Happened
The Muslim man was allegedly beaten by a group of men in Gurugram on the night of 25 May while he was returning after offering namaz. The man, identified as Barkat Ali, was allegedly told to remove his skullcap and chant Jai Shri Ram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai.
However, speaking to The Quint, Subhash Boken, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for Gurugram police, has called it a matter of road rage. When asked if the youth was forced to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Jai Shri Ram, he said that no such instance was mentioned by Barkat while registering the FIR.
An FIR has been lodged and search for the culprits is underway.
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