Former India pacer Irfan Pathan took aim at former India spinner Amit Mishra on Saturday, 23 April, and tweeted a picture of the Preamble to India's Constitution, with the caption, "Always followed this and I urge each citizen of our beautiful country to follow this. Please read and re-read."
This came a day after his 'My Country' tweet, which generated a lot of buzz on social media, especially after Mishra took to Twitter and subtly responded by adding to Pathan's initial tweet.
However, both the ex-India players have not directly responded to each other's tweets.
What Happened on Friday?
On Friday, 22 April, took to social media and wrote, "My country, my beautiful country, has the potential to be the greatest country on earth. BUT………"
Pathan did not provide the context to his tweet. However, it generated several mixed reactions from people, with some even asking him to complete the statement. On the other hand, others implored him not to throw away the goodwill he earned in cricket by making such political statements.
Hours later, Mishra took to his Twitter handle and added to what Pathan had tweeted.
"My country, my beautiful country, has the potential to be the greatest country on earth…..only if some people realise that our constitution is the first book to be followed." He too did not provide any context.
Significance of the Timing of These Tweets
Both these tweets come at a time when communal clashes have been reported from several parts of the country.
Violence was reported from North West Delhi's Jahangirpuri on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti on Saturday, 16 April. This was followed by a demolition drive in the area by the city's civic body.
Similar demolition drives have also been seen in states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, where bulldozers were used following communal clashes, mainly targeting the houses and establishments of a particular community.
The Delhi incident came just days after violence, stone pelting, and arson were reported from several states in India on the occasion of Ram Navami on Sunday, 10 April.
Reports of unrest and violence emerged from Khargone and Barwani in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Goa, Mumbai, and even Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, where several students were injured.
Amit Mishra's Tweet Starts Full-Scale Debate on Twitter
Meanwhile, Amit Mishra's tweet started a full-scale debate among fans. Some fans, including Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra, supported his tweet, while others criticised him for speaking out.
Kapil Mishra posted a picture of both Pathan and Amit Mishra's tweet with the caption, "Proud of you @Amit Mishra".
One Twitter user appreciated Amit Mishra, saying it was "good to see a Hindu also voice his opinion."
"Awesome Amit Mishra. So so good to see a Hindu also voice his opinion. All these years we couldn't see this when likes of Irfan openly voices theirs. Fantastic."
While another user wrote, "True. Modi, Shah and the RSS. Courageous of you to sly them."
One of the users even posted his old photo with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, with the caption 'Behind the Scenes'.
Some even tweeted links to old articles from 2015, where Mishra was arrested in an alleged assault case but was later freed on bail.
One user replied to Mishra, asking him if he was "talking about the unconstitutional demolition of people's home?"
Another user said that Mishra was wearing "a Khaki pant" (a reference to the RSS) under India's blue jersey.
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