NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketers Amit Mishra and Irfan Pathan caused a stir on social media with their Twitter exchange alluding to recent incidents of communal clashes in several parts of the country. Mishra, the 39-year-old spinner, took to his Twitter account to respond to a message from Pathan who earlier in the week posted a cryptic tweet following the anti-encroachment campaign in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area. The campaign saw the demolition of various properties in the area, which led to massive debates within the Indian political fraternity.
Following the events, Pathan, in an open tweet, said, “My country, my beautiful country, has the potential to be the greatest country in the world. BUT………” The post went viral on social media with many people reacting and giving their thoughts on what the 2007 T20 World Cup winner meant.
In response, Mishra completed the line that Pathan had left open for interpretation. “My country, my beautiful country, has the potential to be the greatest country in the world…only if some people realize that our Constitution is the first book to follow.”
Pathan then responded with a tweet saying, “Always follow this and I urge every citizen of our beautiful country to follow this. Please read and re-read…”, along with the image of the preamble to the Constitution which describes India as a secular democratic socialist republic.
The exchange has since caused a major rift on social media, with many clapping and others praising Mishra for her comment while others sided with Pathan. Although neither of them explained the context of their tweets, social media users felt it came against the backdrop of violence in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri and communal clashes elsewhere in the country.
