Former Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad on Sunday called out those who were indulging in whataboutery on his tweet where he expressed shock and condemned the hanging of effigy of ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma outside a mosque in Belgavi, Karnataka, over her remarks on Prophet Muhammad.
The whataboutery to this tweet is simply unbelievable. News channels along with justifiers and people indulging in whataboutery are significant contributors to the pitiful situation. This is not just an effigy By the way,but a threat to more than one person in no uncertain terms. https://t.co/xeLtajrvdB
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) June 12, 2022
Earlier, Prasad had expressed his horror on the hanging effigy via a tweet where he had said that he could not believe this was India in 21st century. He had appealed to everyone to let sanity prevail and leave politics aside. However, his appeal for sanity rubbed some ‘liberals’, Islamists and others a wrong way who, instead of agreeing to bring an end to the violence and death threats, indulged in whataboutery instead.
Your buddies, @venkateshprasad. I know human live isn't sacred for Hindutva scumbags but stillhttps://t.co/weudsvzDXd
— Yeh Log ! (@yehlog) June 11, 2022
Many Islamists shared images of the demolition of disputed structure at Ayodhya which triggered violent riots back in the day. So much that 10 years later in 2002, an Islamist mob burnt down a train full of pilgrims coming from Ayodhya.
— BeingIndianMuslim (@DarknessEvil10) June 11, 2022
Surprising someone would use these images to justify death threats to Sharma for citing things which are stated in the Islamic scriptures.
https://t.co/Kp3AP2ibQR
— Muzammil Malik (@MuzammilMalikkk) June 10, 2022
Ok Sir
Some even shared visual images of police action on rioters in Jharkhand to justify public display of a hanging effigy.
https://t.co/Kp3AP2ibQR
— Muzammil Malik (@MuzammilMalikkk) June 10, 2022
Ok Sir
Some even tried to justify it by claiming how political workers have often burnt effigies and so have cricket fans. However, effigy burning as a means of protest is way different than hanging an effigy as a death threat and as message to others that same fate awaits them should they ‘hurt religious sentiments’ of one community. For a community that likes to call itself peaceful, it sure has violent ways to prove how peaceful it is.
Agree. I hope all us sane people feel the same horror at the beef lynchings & when the a poor migrant labourer was burnt alive on suspicion of so-called love jehad in Rajasamand, Rajasthan. This is an effigy, those were real people.
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) June 11, 2022
Our horror should not be based on identity. 🙏🏽 https://t.co/ljWRypnfQY
Along with all the Islamists, Bollywood entertainer Swara Bhasker, too, joined in to water down the threats to Nupur Sharma. Bhasker, however, has not yet condemned the riots and calls for beheading and bounty announced on Sharma’s head for ‘hurting religious sentiments’ of a community.
Frustrated by the lack of willingness by hardliners to let sanity prevail, the former cricketer said how he found it unbelievable. He said that this effigy is not just about Sharma but it is a threat to more than one person in no uncertain terms. Bodies were similarly hanged on cranes for public display by Islamist group Taliban when it toppled the government in Afghanistan.
