The ‘Twitter bird’ frying viral video has become a bigger controversy

When Congress worker GV Sri Raj decided to join the growing chorus of protest against Twitter for blocking the party and Rahul Gandhi’s official handle, he decided to make it dramatic. Sri Raj, son of former Andhra Pradesh MP GV Harsha Kumar, and others fried a dead quail, which they called it, the “Twitter bird.” His dramatic protest, however, has cost him dearly, kicking up a row in Andhra Pradesh.

As the video went viral, the national leadership of the Congress party was not happy with Sri Raj. He was expecting a showcase notice, hoping to explain his action. Sri Raj, instead, received a suspension letter from Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on August 20. The statement was as bizarre as the viral video itself.

APCC’s statement read, “Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee suspends GV Sri Raj from party's primary membership for becoming disrespectful to the prestige of party and Rahul Gandhi and tarnishing the image of Congress party.” The suspension letter also claimed that Sri Raj had “tortured a bird in the name of Twitter bird and publicly fried it in oil.”

Interestingly, soon after the suspension order, Sri Raj’s father GV Harsha Kumar, a former parliamentarian who is with the Congress party, put a post on Facebook saying, “I am thinking of quitting active politics… Even what was done for the good is turning out to be bad.”

Speaking to TNM, Sri Raj said, “The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President called to tell me that what I did is wrong. When asked what wrong have I done, he said, I shouldn’t have thrown the bird into the hot cooking oil. I clarified that it wasn’t a living bird, but a dead quail bird. He told me that the High Command had asked for strict action against me. I was expecting a show-cause notice so that I would get an opportunity to share what I had to say. Instead, I was given a suspension letter.”

Sri Raj alleged conspiracy in the entire controversy over the video. “Several senior leaders from the high command have spoken to me over the last two days. An inquiry is underway and the high command is closely monitoring the inquiry,” he said.

Twitter had suspended Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s official handle for sharing a picture of the family of the nine-year-old girl in Delhi, who was raped and murdered. The official accounts of the party and several Congress leaders were also blocked for sharing the photos, which led to criticisms on social media. The company, which later restored the account, had said the posts were in violation of the company policies and Indian laws.

In the video, Sri Raj had said, “We are frying the Twitter bird on behalf of the Congress party. You, Twitter bird, have done a mistake by blocking Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter account and not promoting our tweets. So, we are frying this and sending it to the headquarters in Delhi.” The group of Congress workers also raised slogans against the BJP. GV Sri Raj then shifted to his mother tongue Telugu. A well-fried quail bird was then put into a box, following which Sri Raj then head to the post office to send the parcel to the Twitter head office in India. On the way, Sri Raj and his friends were seen biting into the fried quail.

Responding to the suspension, Sri Raj wrote in a statement, “My recent protest against the biased and wrongful actions of suspending the Twitter account handle of Rahul Gandhi ji was misconstrued by the party and I was wrongfully suspended from the party even though my actions did not mean any ill-will and were purely intended to bring to light the high-handed actions of Twitter that was merely acting as a puppet of BJP.”

Sri Raj also explained the quail bird was easily available and was a local delicacy. “I have not breached any existing laws nor have I promoted any form of animal cruelty or violence through my protest. I have purchased a legally consumable quail bird from a local market and endorsed the same to be “Twitter Bird” to draw the attention of the public and Twitter authorities about the unlawful act of spending the account of Rahul Gandhi ji,” he said.

“‘The act of cooking the quail bird in oil was a sign of protest and did not incite any violence or intend any animal cruelty, in any manner. A cooked/ fried quail bird is a staple dish in Andhra Pradesh and several other parts of the country as well,” he added in the statement.

Sri Raj also sent a video recording to Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Indian National Congress, explaining what transpired and how he felt about the suspension. He said, “I feel very disappointed and I am humiliated. Kindly see the full video. If you feel that I am at fault, then I will welcome the decision.”