Twitterati have begun digging out photos of Waris Pathan with Republic TV founder Arnab Goswami and several other prominent BJP leaders after a video of former AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan’s hate speech went viral on the microblogging site.
In the video, Pathan is seen speaking at an anti-CAA rally in Karnataka’s Gulbarga on 15 February. The video was first shared by news agency ANI on Twitter. In the video, Pathan is heard saying, “..We have learnt how to give a befitting reply. But we have to move in unity. We have to acquire freedom and if something can’t be obtained by asking, then we will have to snatch it. The time has now come.”
While reacting to a recent statement by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the women protesters of Shaheen Bagh, Pathan said, ” We were told that we hid behind blankets and pushed our womenfolk to protest. You are sweating in fear just when only lionesses have come out. What will happen if we (Muslim men) also join them? We are only 15 crore but we can overpower 100 crore (Hindus). Just remember this.”
#WATCH AIMIM leader Waris Pathan: …They tell us that we’ve kept our women in the front – only the lionesses have come out&you’re already sweating. You can understand what would happen if all of us come together. 15 cr hain magar 100 ke upar bhaari hain, ye yaad rakh lena.(15.2) pic.twitter.com/KO8kqHm6Kg
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2020
No sooner did his video surface on Twitter, Twitterati began to share Pathan’s photos with Goswami, Union Minister Piyush Goyal and former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader, Devendra Fadnavis.
The conspiracy hatched…
100 crore & 15 crore statement
A picture is worth a thousand words@warispathan @Dev_Fadnavis#ArnabGoswami#WarisPathan
BJP-Media-AIMIM, Bhai bhai pic.twitter.com/SF4pm3uWa4— जनरल नरभक्षी™ (@GDnarbhakshi) February 20, 2020
Make no mistake, #WarisPathan is a BJP agent. After massive drubbing in Delhi elections, BJP is using its B-team #AIMIM to give #ShaheenBaghProtest a communal angle & project it as Anti-Hindu & Anti-National. BJP will use his speech to malign #ShaheenBaghProtesters & divide us. pic.twitter.com/eCoqluAZDY
— Rofl Republic ?? (@i_theindian) February 20, 2020
Well played BJP, well played!#WarisPathan #OwaisiKaWaris pic.twitter.com/FfrcVXnEch
— Rofl Republic ?? (@i_theindian) February 20, 2020
Journalists too were quick to express their outrage against Pathan’s controversial video.
In 2019 assembly polls, @warispathan lost by more than 50,000 votes. People rejected him, TV/social media will now prop him up for making inflammatory remarks. Reject all those who speak language of religious extremism. Deny them oxygen of publicity they so desperately crave!
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) February 20, 2020
Bakwas by #WarisPathan…the sort of nonsense a stupid man spouts when he feels inadequate …. or is in desperate need of attention. His defeat by a large margin in his seat could have triggered this
— Saba Naqvi (@_sabanaqvi) February 20, 2020
Faced with public outrage, Pathan issued a statement saying that he had been misquoted. His statement read, “My statement which was made in the public meeting at Gulbarga has been totally misquoted. Neither me nor my party supports anything that creates a divide between people.”
Pathan frequently appears on Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV to take part in the debate show conducted by the latter.