Actor Gul Panag has reacted to YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s post about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that while disagreement and criticism are part of democracy, reducing the office of the Prime Minister to a “joke on foreign soil” does not feel right to her.
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Dhruv Rathee’s post on PM Modi
The exchange began after Dhruv Rathee took to X and wrote, “Modi deserves to be humiliated everywhere he goes. He has not given a single press conference in 12 years since he became the Prime Minister. He fails to fulfill the basic transparency and accountability requirements of being a leader. I would like to encourage foreign journalists from other European countries to ask him questions wherever they see him, just like Helle Lyng did. Embarrass him so much that he is forced to show some accountability in front of people. You will be doing great service for India’s progress.”
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Gul Panag responds
{{/usCountry}}(Also read: ‘Tameez nahi hai to ghar pe raho’: Dhruv Rathee rips into Indian content creators amid Malik Swashbuckler row)
Gul Panag responds
{{/usCountry}}Quoting Rathee’s post on X, Gul Panag wrote, “Not cool. You can dislike a Prime Minister, disagree with a government, protest, debate and vote differently. That’s democracy. But reducing the office of India’s Prime Minister, the man, the office, and what he represents abroad, to a joke on foreign soil doesn’t feel like the right thing or dissent to me. It diminishes him, the institution, and ultimately, us.”
Take a look here at the post:
Internet reacts
Panag’s post has garnered more than 113k views, with several users supporting her stand and others weighing in on the larger debate around political criticism and national representation abroad.
Reacting to Panag’s post, one user wrote, “You said what we should have heard from everyone long ago.” Another agreed with her view and said, “Yes, I agree with you.”
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A third user praised the actor for her response and wrote, “Thank you for upholding the dignity of our country.” However, not everyone appeared certain about the debate. One user summed up the mixed reactions around the issue, saying, “I am just confused about whose side to take.”