You can be a state’s chief minister for three terms; you can be an influential woman leader in a field dominated mostly by men; you can be the leader of the opposition in the state. But to an elite journalist in New Delhi, that doesn’t matter. Nishant Chaturvedi, an editor at Aaj Tak, tried to mock RJD leader Rabri Devi on Twitter.
On May 1, Rabri Devi had tweeted, attacking the Prime Minister on his recent “non-political” interview with Akshay Kumar. Quoting that tweet, Chaturvedi wrote, “Achha ji, Rabri Devi bhi tweet karti hain? Koi inse bole ki ye bas teen baar Twitter bolkar bata dein” — Oh, so Rabri Devi tweets as well? Can someone please ask her to say “Twitter” three times, implying that Rabri Devi, with her limited education, would not be able to pronounce the name correctly.
The assertion that one has to be able to correctly pronounce “Twitter” to be able to use it is almost as wrong as the presumption that one might not be able to do so in the first place. Chaturvedi was thusly schooled by many on Twitter, including Rabri Devi’s children.
Tejashwi Yadav attacked Chaturvedi, calling his remark classist, racist, xenophobe and casteist. He wrote to India Today Group chairman Aroon Purie, saying: “Dear Aroon Purie ji, Do you really endorse the classist, racist, xenophobe and casteist remark by your editor? Don’t you think he must apologise for it? Supriya Prasad, do you really have such unfairly prejudiced people working in your organisation Aaj Tak?”
Misa Bharti, too, took to Twitter to say, “The need for social justice is evident from the biased toxic statements of the Manu-stream media”.
Dear @aroonpurie ji, Do you really endorse the classist, racist, xenophobe and casteist remark by your editor? Don’t you think he must apologise for it?@supriyapd Do you really have such unfairly prejudiced people working in your organisation @aajtak ? https://t.co/cvpG0Ph6Bg
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) May 2, 2019
सामाजिक न्याय की क्या आवश्यकता है वह मनुस्ट्रीम मीडिया के ऐसे पूर्वाग्रह ग्रसित ज़हर बुझे फुफकार से ही साफ हो जाता है! https://t.co/Y2jvtC4Qre
— Dr. Misa Bharti – विजयी पाटलिपुत्र! ✌️ (@MisaBharti) May 3, 2019
Others also joined in with their criticism of Chaturvedi.
All political leaders have their own social media teams. If Narendra Modi can tweet in perfect English which he definitely doesn't possess considering he spells STRENGTH as STREANH, then Rabri Devi can also employ a social media team to tweet on her behalf. Shameful tweet. https://t.co/5crhsgkkub
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) May 2, 2019
Disgusting ! Downright classist and Casteist comment.
Our Savarna media’s contempt for leaders of the subaltern is nauseating. https://t.co/P8sQ0SDKIk— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) May 2, 2019
If next time someone ask you, why reservation should be on Basis of Caste and not on Economic basis, Show them this tweet.
A middle class Brahmin can Humiliate an Ex-CM on basis of caste. Privileges. https://t.co/fM3xZHrt9D
— History of India (@RealHistoryPic) May 2, 2019
Only a Jaahil Brahmin man can come up with such a casteist, misogynist take on a woman who was the CM of the second largest state of India. https://t.co/kcn2PDn71P
— Anubhav Singh (@lucifer_damned) May 3, 2019
This is an editor? If this was not Modi's India nobody would give a job to people seeped in bigotry and misogyny. .
I pity his family. https://t.co/gvSmPLiBOD— Preeti Sharma Menon (@PreetiSMenon) May 2, 2019
These jokes about @RabriDeviRJD – a former Bihar CM & a capable senior politician – reek of caste & gender privilege. @AshwiniKChoubey and now @nishantchat trying to mock/shame her only expose the fact that THEY think democracy's doors shd be closed to all except men like them! https://t.co/6WmCsIWIZR
— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) May 3, 2019
This is the epitome of Manuvaadi media and it must be shown to everyone who questions the need for caste based reservations. It’s shameful how a journalist is ridiculing a former CM (who belongs to backward caste) due to his upper caste arrogance. @yadavtejashwi @MisaBharti https://t.co/v9R83AN4cP
— Md Salim (@salimdotcomrade) May 3, 2019
Chaturvedi, subsequently, ended up apologising even if it was subpar. He wrote, “Dear Tejashwi Yadav ji, I had no intent to disrespect your or anyone’s mother, I m rather surprised that people r spending so much time on misinterpreting a tweet to the disrespect of a mother, lady or even finding a caste angle in it. Sincere apologize (sic) but please do not misinterpret.”
This half-hearted apology once again received a blast from Yadav, who wrote: “So what motivated you to spend your precious time in asking a former CM to pronounce a word? Have you ever asked any elite upper caste politician from your pay master’s party who are less educated than my mother to pronounce a word? It reflects ur casteist, racist & classist mindset.”
So what motivated you to spend your precious time in asking a former CM to pronounce a word? Have you ever asked any elite upper caste politician from ur pay master’s party who are less educated then my mother to pronounce a word? It reflects ur casteist,racist & classist mindset https://t.co/7O4sM4JmwL
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) May 3, 2019