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‘Now tell us…’: Saurav Das, Gaurav Bhatia spar on X over BJP leader’s fake ‘Dimagi Naxal’ quote on Swatantra Bhardwaj
Das, who later deleted the post, clarified on his X account that it was AI-generated, but dared BJP leaders to “repeat the line”.
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A war of words erupted between Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das and Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Friday, in connection with a post claiming the latter had called Swatantra Bhardwaj a “dimagi naxal”.
After Das shared the “dimagi naxal” post, Bhatia said that it was “fake”, while giving a 24-hour ultimatum to the CJP spokesperson to delete the post and apologise. Das, who later deleted the post, clarified on his X account that it was AI-generated, but dared BJP leaders to “repeat the line”, while personally asking Bhatia if he “disagreed” with the statement.
Deep Dive
Swatantra Bhardwaj came under fire recently for his remarks on a podcast wherein he claimed to have “broken the skull” of CJP activist Nishu Aazad's father, Sanjay Kumar. The Delhi Police arrested Bhardwaj on Friday, after booking him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and charges of criminal intimidation.
Saurav Das's ‘dare’ after Gaurav Bhatia demands ‘unconditional apology’
The social media exchange began after Das shared a post on his official official X handle, which reportedly cited Bhatia as saying, “The person named Swatantra Bhardwaj is a ‘dimagi naxal’. He has the poison of casteism inside him. The BJP has no connection with this individual."
Das, in the now-deleted post, reacted to this, saying, “No comments again.” However, Bhatia took to the social media platform to deny the remarks, saying the post was “fake”. “You have 24 hours to delete and offer unconditional apology,” he further told Das.
The CJP spokesperson later clarified that the post was AI-generated, but “challenged” the BJP to “repeat this line.” “Why should there be a problem in doing this? Ally Chirag Paswan has disowned the goon and filed an FIR too. Why is no one in the BJP saying anything? Are they owning the goons?” Das questioned. He individually replied to Bhatia as well, stating, “I’ve already clarified. Now tell us if you disagree with the statement.”
What is the case against Swatantra Bhardwaj?
The case is in connection with the alleged assault of CJP activist Nishu Aazad's father Sanjay Kumar during the student protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Sanjay Kumar was involved in a scuffle during a protest.
The CJP has alleged that he was attacked by Swatantra Bhardwaj and others, with Bhardwaj himself claiming that he had “broken the skull” of Aazad's father, a statement he later denied. Bhardwaj also said: “But I was not even jailed. The world should know this. I was out and about through the night.”
After the remarks surfaced on social media platforms, the CJP staged a sit-in outside the Parliament Street Police station in Delhi on Friday, with a delegation of the organisation's members also meeting the cops on the matter. The police later detained Bhardwaj, and arrested him on Saturday. An FIR was initially filed against the 21-year-old accused under BNS sections 115(2) (causing simple hurt) and 126(2) (wrongful restraint). However, sections under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were also added against him.
