Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

‘Intezaar kyon? Lijiye block kar diya’; Sushma Swaraj responds to troll

Passport Seva Kendra official in Lucknow Vikas Mishra was transferred from Lucknow to Gorakhpur after the couple alleged that he humiliated them when they went to the office with their passport applications.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj continues to take on the vicious trolls targeting her over the issuance of passport to an interfaith couple. Swaraj, who has been virtually waging a lone battle against trolling, today instantly blocked a Twitter user who criticised her, unlike she did in the past few days — liking the abusive posts. “Intezaar kyon ? Lijiye block kr diya (Why wait? Here you go, I have blocked you,” Swaraj tweeted, after the troll asked the External Affairs Minister to block her.

Swaraj had been liking posts of trolls who have been targeting her on the passport controversy, as part of her unique protests. She had also conducted a poll on Twitter on Sunday asking users whether they “approve” of such trolling to which 57 per cent respondents said they oppose it while 43 per cent supported the trolls. Swaraj has been targeted by the trolls following transfer of Passport Seva Kendra official in Lucknow Vikas Mishra for allegedly humiliating the interfaith couple.

Mishra was transferred from Lucknow to Gorakhpur after the couple alleged that he humiliated them when they went to the office with their passport applications. The Congress has been attacking the BJP for not coming out in support of the External Affairs Minister. Yesterday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the trolling of Swaraj was wrong, becoming first BJP leader and Union Minister to comment on the issue.

Today, Union minister Nitin Gadkari too came out in support of Swaraj. “It is very unfortunate the way Sushma Swarajji was trolled and the kind of propaganda being spread against her. I had a discussion with her, but when the decision (to issue the passports) was taken, she was not in the country,” he said.

When the controversy had broken, Swaraj was on an official visit to France, Belgium and Luxembourg. “I was out of India from 17th to 23rd June 2018. I do not know what happened in my absence. However, I am honoured with some tweets. I am sharing them with you. So I have liked them,” she had tweeted on June 24.  On Sunday, after the twitter poll, she had posted, “In a democracy, difference of opinion is but natural. Pls do criticise but not in foul language. Criticism in decent language is always more effective.”