Actor-turned-politician Paresh Rawal is currently under attack on Twitter for suggesting that author Arundhati Roy — whose Left-leaning vies have often rattled many cages — be tied to a jeep to deter stone-pelters. He was referring to a video posted by former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, which showed a Kashmiri man tied to an Indian Army vehicle, ostensibly to deter stone-pelters.
Rawal has since been targeted on Twitter with accusations of bigotry and threatening to harm a woman. However, there are some who have also shown solidarity with the BJP leader. Prominent among the latter is Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, who said it was "good to see Bollywood coming out openly against anti-nationals."
The tweet and what fuelled it
It all started with a tweet from Rawal, saying: "Instead of tying stone pelter on the army jeep tie Arundhati Roy!" The tweet seems to have been its origin in Roy's statement last week that India was apparently oppressing the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and that the country's aggression there was "shameful."
Instead of tying stone pelter on the army jeep tie Arundhati Roy !
— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) May 21, 2017
The authior, who won the Man Booker Prize in 1997 for her book The God of Small Things, had said in a statement while in J&K last week: "Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for justice while communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists, and those who prey on the poorest of the poor, roam free."
Roy had made similar anti-India statements earlier. For example, she had said last year that the current BJP-led government at the Centre could conduct "false flag terror strikes" — dress its own people up as terrorists and conduct terrorism in India — in order to beat the anti-incumbency factor. Pakistan repeated this line when it was accused of the Uri terror attack on September 18, 2016.
Twitter reacts
Twitterati reacted to the subject with varying degrees of support and opposition. Self-declared RTI activist Abhishek Mishra said: "Joker Paresh Rawal was making fun of hindus in his movie oh my God. But now he became BJP MP so talking about Hindus. Hypocrite." What Rawal's current tweet has to do with Hinduism may best be explained by Mishra himself.
Joker Paresh Rawal was making fun of hindus in his movie oh my God. But now he became BJP MP so talking about Hindus. Hypocrite.
— Abhishek Mishra (@meamabhishek) May 22, 2017
And then there were those who claimed that Rawal was promoting violence against women.
And this is a verified official account of Paresh Rawal? He is openly calling for violence against a women.. he even beats Kher in bigotry pic.twitter.com/ESZFkC5lBn
— Stuti Mishra (@StuteeMishra) May 21, 2017
Popular blogger-turned-bestselling author Arnab Ray had this to say about Rawal's tweet:
Paresh Rawal's tweet on Roy only feeds into her narrative. The counter to her poison cannot & should not be veiled physical threats.
— Arnab Ray (@greatbong) May 22, 2017
It remains to be seen whether — as often happens in such cases — a police complaint is filed against Rawal.
