Did Congress’ Radhika Khera laud India’s T20 loss to Pakistan? BJP on attack after cryptic tweet
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Did Congress’ Radhika Khera laud India’s T20 loss to Pakistan? BJP on attack after cryptic tweet

Congress national media coordinator Radhika Khera says her words were 'twisted and turned', adding that her tweet had no reference to Sunday's cricket match.

Revathi Krishnan    
Radhika Khera | Twitter | @Radhika_Khera

Radhika Khera | Twitter | @Radhika_Khera

New Delhi: Congress national media coordinator Radhika Khera has been in the eye of a social media storm following a tweet that is being perceived as one celebrating India’s loss in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match against Pakistan Sunday.

In a cryptic tweet late Sunday night, shortly after the country’s 10-wicket loss to Pakistan, Khera tweeted, “क्यों भक्तों, आ गया स्वाद ? करवा ली बेइज़्ज़ती (So bhakton, got a taste of your own medicine, managed to get yourselves insulted)???”

Controversy erupted almost immediately, as the tweet went viral, with many accusing her of rejoicing in India’s loss and siding with Pakistan. Among those who hit out at Khera and the Congress were Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Gaurav Bhatia, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, and Kapil Mishra.

Bagga questioned why the Congress was so happy over Pakistan’s victory, before noting that it was the same party that had asked the Indian military for proof of surgical strikes. He also took a veiled dig at the party’s decision to induct Kanhaiya Kumar, the former JNU Student Union chief who is an accused in an alleged sedition case stemming from an event to mark Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s death anniversary in 2016.

Bhatia, meanwhile, lashed out at “Pakistani snakes” in India.

Kapil Mishra did not name Khera in his tweet, but said a vote for the Congress amounted to a vote for India’s disintegration.

 

Khera later tweeted that she had been misunderstood.

In a tweet Monday, Khera claimed her tweet had been “twisted and turned”, as “there was no reference whatsoever to cricket, or any one losing or winning” in her original tweet.

 

ThePrint tried to reach Khera over WhatsApp and phone calls for a comment on this report, but there was no response by the time of publishing.

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‘Keep losing sleep’

As the controversy raged on, Khera put out more social media posts and also a video.

Early Monday morning, right after the onslaught of criticism started, Khera tweeted, “बेवक़ूफ़ भक्त और मालवीया के ₹2 ट्रोल, तुमको मेरी ट्वीट से *chilly emoji* लग रही है तो मैं क्या करूँ? मैं तो चली सोने, तुम अपना खून जलाते रहो!! Shoooooo! [Silly (Amit) Malviya (national convenor of the BJP’s IT cell) and his two-rupee trolls, why does my tweet irk you so much? I am going to sleep, you keep losing sleep over it].”

Khera alleged in a video that since PM Modi had come to power, he had sent a “love letter” to Pakistan every year. This appeared to be a reference to an interview of PM Modi while the UPA was in power, where he said the “writing of love letters” to Pakistan should stop. The Congress has since criticised the Prime Minister in the same vein for extending Pakistan National Day greetings to the country’s leaders every year.

(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)

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