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Hamid Ansari speaks about bigotry, Twitter responds with more bigotry

Catch Team | Updated on: 10 August 2017, 17:03 IST
(Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Hamid Ansari, the outgoing vice-president of India, gave his parting interview to Karan Thapar on Rajya Sabha TV. In the interview, Ansari referred to the recent spate of lynchings, 'ghar wapsi', and the killings of rationalists as a "breakdown of Indian values". While the concerns he expressed weren't much different from those expressed by former President Pranab Mukherjee earlier this year, the response to Ansari was nothing short of vile and vitriolic.

A breakdown of secular India

Ansari termed recent happenings as a "breakdown of the ability of the authorities at different levels in different places to be able to enforce what should be normal law enforcing work and over all the very fact that Indianness of any citizen being questioned is a disturbing thought," Ansari said.

More damningly, Ansari spoke about how he had held several meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet regarding the increase in these violent crimes. According to Ansari, both the PM and his Cabinet showed a lack of seriousness towards these issues.

Asked about whether he agreed with the Muslim community assessment that they are apprehensive and feeling insecure as a result of the various comments made against them, Ansari answered in the affirmative.

"Yes. It is a correct assessment, from all I hear from different quarters, the country; I heard the same thing in Bangalore, I have heard from other parts of the country, I hear more about in north India, there is a feeling of unease, a sense of insecurity is creeping in," he said.

Twitter gets ugly

Ansari's comments are hardly explosive, with the same views being expressed by different people on different platforms. However, coupled with his Muslim identity, Ansari's statements angered Twitter's right wing brigade, with a torrent of abuse subsequently directed at Ansari.

There was some support for Ansari. Sadly, it was drowned out by the deluge of bigoted bile.

As with any such incident, an army of fake Twitter profiles maligned Ansari

Twitter
First published: 10 August 2017, 17:03 IST