NEW DELHI: In a significant shift in her stand towards abusive trolls, external affairs minister
Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday blocked a Twitter user who attacked her. Over the past few days, the minister was posting a “like” to the abusive posts by the
trolls who have been targeting her for issuing passport to an interfaith couple.
On Tuesday, two more Union ministers,
Nitin Gadkari and Ram Vilas Paswan, came out in Sushma's support after home minister
Rajnath Singh made the first move on Monday.
“Intezaar kyon? Lijiye block kr diya (Why wait? Here you go, I have blocked you,” Swaraj tweeted, after the troll asked the minister to block her. Swaraj had been till now liking posts of trolls who have been targeting her on the passport controversy, as part of her unique protests.
Sushma Swaraj was virtually waging a lonely battle against trolls before home minister Rajnath Singh came out in her defence on Monday.
While Rajnath Singh called the trolling of Sushma Swaraj wrong, Gadkari said, “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.”
Slamming the trolls, LJP leader Paswan said “I strongly condemn the shameful trolling campaign against Smt Shushma Swaraj Ji. She is a very senior Parliamentarian and We must respect each other. @SushmaSwaraj.”
Before Rajnath and Gadkari, nobody in the party other than Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Shaina NC had came out in support of Sushma Swaraj. “Social media is a forum to express opinion, counter opinion, critique, sarcasm, or Witt. But clearly trolling with abuse is unacceptable of any woman leader across the board. Be it @SushmaSwaraj or @priyankac19” she had tweeted.
A strong section within the Sangh and in the BJP are not supportive of external affairs ministry’s quick decision to transfer the concerned passport officer against whom the interfaith couple had complained about harassing and insulting them, even though officially they have been tight-lipped about the entire affair.
Sushma Swaraj had also conducted a poll on Twitter on Sunday asking users whether they “approve” of such trolling to which 57 % respondents said they oppose it while 43 % supported the trolls.
Sushma has been targeted by trolls following transfer of Passport Seva Kendra official in Lucknow Vikas Mishra, for allegedly humiliating the interfaith couple, during an interview for their passports. Mishra was transferred from Lucknow to Gorakhpur as punishment, after the couple alleged that he humiliated them when they went to the office with their passport applications.
Opposition Congress has been attacking the BJP for not coming out in support of the external affairs minister.
When the controversy broke, 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.”
Sushma Swaraj (File photo)