Barely a day after celebrity journalists and leaders from Congress and AAP cheered Chetan Bhagat’s substandard-as-always article on online abuse by “bhakts” (a term used to refer to Modi supporters), they have been found turning a blind eye towards filthy abuses hurled by celebrity AAP supporters like singer Mika Singh and TV personality Raghu Ram.
It is no secret that ordinary AAP or Congress supporters are as abusive, if not more, than an ordinary BJP supporter, but it is indeed shocking that even public figures related to AAP are indulging in a language that will put anyone to shame.
The issue was raised by alert Twitter users earlier today who showed how the media and AAP leadership have been silent on abuses by their supporters while they always point out to abuse by any user claiming to be a BJP supporter.
(warning: the tweets below contain extremely boorish language by AAP supporter Mika Singh and Raghu Ram. Discretion is advised below scrolling down)
Following are some tweets where TV personality Raghu Ram, a vocal supporter of AAP, has used filthiest of abuses for ordinary users:
Let’s see what actions @TwitterIndia takes on these wannabe celebs. pic.twitter.com/1bypFkceUD
— ThakurSaab. (@HathwalaThakur) July 12, 2015
And another celebrity AAP supporter, singer Mika Singh, was found to be using filthier language:
I have reported my last few RTs, I request u to do so. Let’s see what action @TwitterIndia takes against @MikaSingh pic.twitter.com/T3RtpMUGnJ
— Ishant Sharma (@CrimeMasterV2) July 12, 2015
It should be noted that Mika Singh was confirmed as an AAP supporter by party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who also follows him on Twitter:
@MikaSingh @AamAadmiParty Best wishes Mika. U always supported AAP’s crusade for honest politics. God bless u in ur endeavors.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 24, 2014
However, despite being pointed out by many on Twitter, Arvind Kejriwal had not tweeted to condemn such language used by Mika Singh or Raghu, till reports last came in.
While AAP’s indifference to abusive language can be explained by the fact that party would try to avoid owning responsibility for its supporters’ behaviour (though they ask BJP to do the same), what is more shocking is Mainstream Media’s attitude towards such abuse.
The same media, which didn’t waste a minute before pillorying pro-BJP celebrity Alok Nath for using abusive language in a tweet (which he had deleted), doesn’t think it’s important to name and shame these pro-AAP celebrities in their news reports.
What explains these double standards of the mainstream media? The latest budget by Aam Aadmi Party government that has set aside over 500 crores for advertisement? Or the fact that many celebrity journalists engage with abusive AAP and Congress supporters on social media and use them to fight their proxy wars against their critics whom they term “trolls”?
We leave that upon our readers to decide, while we hope that Twitter acts against these abusive celebrities just as they have been acting and suspending abusive AAP supporters reported by a Twitter handle called @AAPTardHunters:
We took action against Abusive #AAPtards and suspended 3 accounts @NamoHaram @Jasodabenji @An_Utiya__ at one go. pic.twitter.com/vQtIa2Okx4
— AAPTard Hunters (@AAPTardHunters) July 11, 2015
