The controversy surrounding Delhi’s JNU on Saturday spilled over on Twitter as a war of words on the University’s students’ union (JNUSU) vice president Shehla Rashid Shora between former chief minister Omar Abdullah and Censor board member Ashoke Pandit.
Pandit in a tweet demanded that Shora, a girl from downtown Srinagar and prominent leader of the ongoing agitation at JNU, be interrogated and mentioned that she is a “Kashmiri Muslim”.
Firebrand speeches against the incumbent government by the twenty-seven-year-old Shora has been doing the rounds on social media and she has emerged as a prominent voice of the ongoing agitation in Delhi after the JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was put behind bars on charges of sedition.
Late on Friday night, Pandit had tweeted, “Shiela Rashid #VicePresident #JNU who is a #KashmiriMuslim shld be interrogated She had also opposed #BabaRamdev in #JNU.#Nationfirst.”
Pandit waded into controversy last year when during the controversy surrounding the stand-up comic group AIB, he had tweeted on filmmaker Karan Johar, who had participated in a roast with the group, “Karan Johar could have easily shown his position while performing sex to his mom at home instead of making it public.#AIB Porn Show.”
{{/usCountry}}Pandit waded into controversy last year when during the controversy surrounding the stand-up comic group AIB, he had tweeted on filmmaker Karan Johar, who had participated in a roast with the group, “Karan Johar could have easily shown his position while performing sex to his mom at home instead of making it public.#AIB Porn Show.”
{{/usCountry}}Abdullah on Saturday afternoon quoted that tweet and replied, “Now being a Kashmiri Muslim is crime enough to warrant interrogation. BTW it’s Shehla not Sheila but what the hell!!”
Pandit defended himself against Abdullah’s comments and replied, “Did I say that being KM is a crime? Ur thinking is communal, not mine. Interrogation for organizing #AnyiIndiaRally.”
And Abdullah was quick to react, too.
“I’m a Kashmir Muslim AND I’m not a Ramdev supporter/follower. I’d better prepare for my interrogation.”
But then, Pandit took the debate to a whole new angle, bringing in the issue of the Kashmiri Pandits and their exodus during early 1990s.
Pandit wrote to Abdullah: “But U & your dad are def.rspnsbl for the genocide & ethnic cleanising of #KashmiriPandits.Hence shld b interrogated. (sic)”
On the other hand, Pandit took on prominent journalist Sankarshan Thakur also, head on.
Thakur had responded to Pandit’s tweet on Shora and expressed his shock.
He wrote, “What?? Because she is a Kashmiri Muslim and opposed Ramdev? Bhaiyon, Behnon, *Deshbhakt* #ShehlaRashid #JNU”
In response to Thakur’s tweet, Pandit wrote, “Is she not a #KashmiriMuslim who organised #AntiIndiaRally wth her #KashmiriMuslimfriends? Bhaiyon,Behno “AntiIndia””
Thakur quoted this tweet and wrote, “Bhakt Alert”.
‘Bhakt’ being a popular word used on social media to refer to those who vehemently tend to support the BJP or the RSS.
In response, Pandit called Thakur a “fraud liberal” whose “shops” have been shut.
“We can understand your shops are shut under the new regime & hence the frustration. We pity the fraud liberals.”