Ashok Swain, a professor based in Sweden, who is revered in liberal circles due to his opposition to Hindutva has expressed his delight at his tweets being featured on anews channel in Pakistan.
Just Saw that My Tweets Have Got the Prime Time Attention in Pakistan! https://t.co/3kdfH7TsMi via @YouTube
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) December 14, 2018
Swain’s tweet from December 11 where he had insinuated that the NDA government could trigger a conflict with Pakistan to reap electoral benefits was featured in the show.
Mark my word – In the next 5 months, Modi will smile more in public and will cry more in public.
India should be also prepared for a major riot and/or a major border confrontation with Pakistan before the 2019 election.— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) December 11, 2018
In another tweet that was featured, Swain claimed that the Kargil war was a ‘set up’ by the Vajpayee government.
So, Kargil War in 1999 was a setup by the Vajpayee Government! If they had information of infiltration, why did not stop it, but fought the war to evict them? https://t.co/ugMuqzyjz0 via @timesofindia
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) December 11, 2018
Swain’s tweets were used by the Pakistani news anchors to paint India in poor light and argue that the Indian government would try to create a ‘drama’ to benefit itself electorally.
The panel also argued that anti-Pakistan rhetoric was a tool used by Prime Minister Modi to reap votes. The general argument made by the panellists and the anchors on the basis of Swain’s tweets was that Pakistan wants peace while it is the Indian government which doesn’t want it.
One panellist also asserted that Pakistan should be prepared for it and that the international community should recognize the attitude of the Indian government.
Not just Ashok Swain, senior Congress leader and close aide of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Mani Shankar Aiyar also spoke to Pakistan against the Modi government as well.
कांग्रेस के वरिष्ठ नेता मणिशंकर अय्यर का पाकिस्तान के न्यूज़ चैनल पर शर्मनाक बयान । क्या महागठबंधन में पाकिस्तान भी शामिल हो गया है @RahulGandhi जी ? pic.twitter.com/opbgjxclxu
— Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) December 15, 2018
Aiyar, who is known to make controversial statements, spoke about the ‘Rafale scam’ and how it has dented Prime Minister Modi’s clean image in India. He also claimed there was rampant corruption within the NDA government.
Earlier, Aiyar had praised Pakistan’s approach to the relationship between the two countries and said that he was upset with India. He had also hailed Muhammad Ali Jinnah for his role in the freedom movement and referred to him as Quaid-e-Azam. In his 2015 interview to a Pakistani news channel, Aiyar had said that Prime Minister Modi needs to be removed from power to initiate a dialogue between the two countries.
Indian “liberals” and politicians toeing Pakistan’s line to belittle Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not new and certainly seems like the norm. Congress had marketed their “Modi hatao” Facebook post in Pakistan. Later, they had ended the advertisement and lied about it profusely.
Congress rhetoric at home and Pakistan’s rhetoric at the UNGA also had eerie similarities and Pakistan trolls had tried to shield and promote Rahul Gandhi fervently on Twitter. One can also recall how Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu had gone to Pakistan for Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony and hugged the Pakistan army chief undermining the thousands of soldiers who are butchered by Pakistan. He had then asserted that he rather visit Pakistan than South India. In fact, global terrorist Hafiz Saeed had also endorsed Congress’ “vision” of Kashmir.
