Earlier today, veteran comedian Raju Srivastava breathed his last in Delhi at the age of 58. The comedian died at 10.20 am in the morning, after 41 days of hospitalisation. He was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on August 10 after he suffered chest pain and collapsed while working out at a gym.
Raju Srivastava’s health was frail for over a month and was kept on a ventilator after he was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. Recently, his brother Dipoo Srivastava said that the comedian was recovering gradually but was unconscious.
Srivastava became a household name after he participated in a comedy show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ in 2005 and is often known by his screen name Gajodhar Bhaiya. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Usually, sombre occasions such as someone passing away evoke sympathy and condolence messages. The death of Raju Srivastava pushed the nation into collective mourning. People across the country condoled the death of one of the greatest comedians of all time.
However, not everyone in the country was mourning the loss of the comedian. When news trickled in that Raju Srivastava has passed away, vultures belonging to the left-leaning liberal fold, stand-up comedians, and Islamists, who had long harboured a grouse against him for wearing his nationalism on his sleeves and for more benign reasons such as simply disagreeing with the ‘liberal’ worldview, descended on social media platforms to celebrate his death and abuse the comedian.
Islamists and leftists, for whom death does nothing to temper their innate hate impulses and instead offers them yet another opportunity to spew venom against people who did not conform to their ideology, took to social media to attack Srivastava and celebrate his death.
Washed-up ‘comedian’ of now-defunct AIB, Rohan Joshi, spews hatred against Raju Srivastava after his death, deletes comment after online backlash
‘Comedian’ Rohan Joshi, most known for being part of the now-defunct comedy company All India Bakchod (AIB) and who had expressed glee at Hindus losing their family members to the Coronavirus pandemic, posted a nasty message on Instagram on the death of Raju Srivastava.
Calling Raju Srivastava’s death a “good riddance”, Joshi commented, “We haven’t lost a thing. Whether it was Kara whether it was the roast or any comic in the news, Raju Srivastav took every opportunity he ever got to shit on newer comics, especially after a new wave of stand-up started.”
As clear as one could be pic.twitter.com/scB7f2IhMu
— Zee (@MhaskarChief) September 21, 2022
He further added, “He went on every fuckall news channel every time he was invited to go shit on an upcoming art form and call it offensive just because he couldn’t understand it and new stars were rising. He might have told a few good jokes but he understood nothing about the spirit of comedy or defending someone’s right to say something even if you don’t agree. Fuck him and good riddance.”
No sooner he posted the spiteful comment than he drew the ire of social media users who slammed him for abusing and hating on a person who died just hours ago. Chastened by criticism, Joshi deleted his comment and offered what appeared like an insincere apology.
“fair point. Yahi soch kar delete kiya kyonki after a minute of anger I realised today is not about my personal feelings. Sorry if it hurt you and thanks for the perspective,” Joshi commented when one of the Instagram users pointed out how his comment is distasteful and unwarranted.
Rohan joshi has deleted the pathetic comment after getting bashed by people. He’s justified saying he was angry and it’s not time for his “personal feelings”. His Personal feelings filled with toxic hatred & venom. No wonder, he calls other hate mongers & intolerant. pic.twitter.com/unAttYTwgK
— Janki (@jaankiii_) September 21, 2022
Islamists and Liberals descend on social media to hate on the late comedian
However, like Joshi, Islamists and ‘liberals’ too joined in abusing the decedent comedian and expressing happiness over his death.
“In the last stage of his life, he abused muslim. Behind his comedy face, he hid a monster Raju,” read a tweet posted by one Wasim Akram.
Yet another Islamist said Raju Srivastava was a bigot, a racist, and anti-Islamic.
A Twitter user mocked Raju Srivastava after his death. “This is soo good. When I heard he was brain dead. I was like wasn’t he brain dead for years now? Only the news got out now,” he said.
A bevvy of Islamists quoted an old tweet by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair to spew their venom against the comedian. Zubair, who is known for painting a target behind those who stood up against Islamist bullying, had made ‘sanskari gaalis’ jibe at Raju Srivastava in January 2021 while sharing a collage of unflattering comments made by Raju Srivastava on social media.
Several Islamists and ‘liberals’ quoted the tweet today to justify why they are pleased with Raju’s death. Congress leader Pankhuri Pathak quoted Zubair’s tweet and commented “disgusting”.
Another Islamist commented that she is not shedding tears for someone who was a “misogynist, Islamophobe” while quoting Zubair’s tweet.
Others quoted Zubair’s tweet and posted mean tweets against Raju Srivastava on his death.
How Islamists and liberals had attacked Lata Mangeshkar after her death
The hateful posts by Islamists and ‘liberals’ against Raju Srivastava do not come as a surprise since they have long had a penchant for celebrating the death of those whose views are at odds with their left-leaning ideology. Earlier this year, ‘liberals’ and ‘Islamists’ had taken to Twitter to abuse Lata Mangeshkar after her death. They claimed she deserved no sympathy as she was a ‘Sanghi’. Lata Mangeshkar’s admiration for nationalist icons and her close association with the RSS became a rallying point for the left liberals, who did not shy away from making harsh comments on the deceased.
