After Amarnath attack, who gives a f*** about spirit of Kashmiriyat? Home minister Rajnath says ‘I do’

Home minister Rajnath Singh used Twitter on Tuesday to counter angry demands for retaliation against the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir and to the send out a clear message that not all Kashmiris are terrorists.

Singh, not as prolific on the micro-blogging platform as Prime Minister Narendra Modi or external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, turned the tables on author Shuchi Singh Kalra, who used a cuss word to question the home minister’s defence of Kashmiriyat – the Sufi philosophy that for long defined life in Kashmir.

Hours after the attack that killed seven Amarnath pilgrims and injured several more on Monday, Singh noted in a tweet that the people of Kashmir had strongly condemned the brazen assault by terrorists. “It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive,” he said.

The people of Kashmir have strongly condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 11, 2017

Kalra responded by asking in a tweet: “Who gives a f*** about the spirit of Kashmiriyat at this moment? It’s not your job to placate. Just drag those cowards out and cull them.”

Screen grab of Shuchi Singh Kalra’s tweet that was subsequently deleted. (HT Photo)

Singh’s response to Kalra was devoid of any anger and to the point – he made it clear that he did care about Kashmiriyat.

“Ms Kalra I certainly do. It is absolutely my job to ensure peace & tranquility in all parts of the country. All Kashmiris are not terrorists,” he said.

Ms Kalra I certainly do. It is absolutely my job to ensure peace & tranquility in all parts of the country. All Kashmiris are not terrorists https://t.co/YdTnjDND9i

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 11, 2017

After Singh replied to the tweet, Kalra deleted the controversial tweet.

Earlier, Singh described the assault on the pilgrims as a “cowardly act of terror” said it was heartening that the “whole nation stand(s) united against terrorism”.

The attack on Amarnath Yatris is a cowardly act of terror. Heartening to see the whole nation stand united against terrorism. pic.twitter.com/JglOdZWU34

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 11, 2017

Singh, who has more than 6 million followers on Twitter, earned both praise and reproach for his tweet on Kashmiriyat. Some thanked him for his calm approach while others demanded he take action against the terrorists instead on tweeting a condemnation.

Some also lauded him for engaging even with Twitter users who were being abusive.

Big-hearted & wise of @rajnathsingh to engage constructively with an angry Indian despite cuss word used. His mentor Atalji would be proud https://t.co/de9O3pYLMc

— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) July 11, 2017

Singh’s official Twitter handle has about 2,700 tweets - far fewer than the nearly 16,000 tweets from Modi’s official handle or 5,000-odd from Swaraj’s handle.

First Published: Jul 11, 2017 17:01 IST