[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]~By Sucheta Dasgupta

Soon after Ansari’s interview, in which he speaks about a feeling of unease and insecurity among the country’s Muslims, was aired on Rajya Sabha TV, a section of BJP leaders attacked the outgoing VP, Twitter trolls, author and BJP sympathiser Tarek Fateh ask him to ‘go to Pakistan’, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit wonder if Ansari will join the separatist Hurriyat conference in Kashmir

 Soon after Vice President Hamid Ansari’s televised interview, in which he talks about Indian Muslims feeling insecure and uneasy under the prevailing socio-political environment of the country, was aired on Rajya Sabha TV, on Thursday, a section of BJP leaders and an army of trolls on Twitter launched a virulent, even vituperative attack at him.

As Ansari demitted office – the only person since India’s first Vice President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan to have completed 10 years in the constitutional post – he also delivered a statesman-like speech in the Rajya Sabha, of which he was ex-officio Chairman. Quoting Dr Radhakrishnan, Ansari said: “democracy is distinguished by the protection it gives to minorities, a democracy is likely to disintegrate into a tyranny if it does not allow the Opposition to criticize freely and frankly the policies of the government.”

The mild-mannered, soft spoken former career diplomat, who was heaped with praise from parliamentarians of all political hues in the Rajya Sabha, however came in for heavy and often abusive criticism on Twitter and also from some BJP leaders soon after.

Making matters worse was a not-so-veiled attack at Ansari from his successor, Venkaiah Naidu, who told news agency PTI: “Some people are saying minorities are insecure. It is a political propaganda. Compared to the entire world, minorities are more safe and secure in India and they get their due.”

While BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya hit out at Ansari for his comments and wondered if they were fuelled by his ambition of taking on a political role, national executive member of the saffron party’s Mahila Morcha, Priti Gandhi wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter: “For 10 years my Hindu majority nation accepted you with open arms, placed you at the pinnacle of power & you still feel uneasy? Agenda kya hai? (sic).”

On APN channel’s daily current affairs talk show – Mudda – BJP leader Chandrabhushan Pandey called Hamid Ansari a “ranga siyar” (jackal dyed indigo) and added: “I never read about the illustrious “(former) President Zakir Hussain making such a statement. Ansari is a beneficiary of this system which values merit over faith and caste. He has turned out to be a ranga siyar, who can’t help himself from aligning with the narrow interests of his community. Yeh retirement ke baad apne liye rozgar talashne ki koshish hai (This is only an attempt to find positions for himself post retirement).”

The discourse over Ansari’s comments quickly disintegrated from routine political jibes to unparliamentary, obnoxious attacks on Twitter.

Right-wing political commentator and writer Tarek Fateh wondered why Ansari he doesn’t “retire to Pakistan” while film-maker and BJP sympathizer Ashoke Pandit tweeted: “Will not be surprised if #HamidAnsari joins #Hurriyat” (sic).[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Others on Twitter put out pictures related to an earlier controversy with which Ansari was linked when news of him not saluting the Indian tricolor during a Republic Day parade (when the then US President Barrack Obama was special dignitary) led to right-wing activists raising questions over his “Indianness”. Ansari’s officer on special duty Gurdeep Singh Sappal had then explained: “When National anthem is played, Principal Dignitary and persons in uniform take the salute. Those in civil dress stand in attention.” Sappal had said that protocol dictates that at Republic Day parade, “the President of India, as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, takes the salute and by protocol, the Vice-President is required to stand in attention”.

Ansari has himself explained his position on the controversy thus: “If people don’t know what the correct protocol etiquette is, well, then that’s it. If one thing I know very well, it’s protocol. I have been the longest serving Chief of Protocol in the history of modern India. I know protocol and etiquette. I didn’t deviate from it.”

But trolls on Twitter clear don’t care about explanations or protocol and etiquette as is evident from the posts that flooded the site in a bid to attack and shame Ansari.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

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