NEW DELHI: In the first condemnation by a government representative of abusive trolls who attacked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said what happened with his cabinet colleague was absolutely wrong.
"I consider this absolutely wrong," Singh said when asked to comment on the issue. Singh is the only minister to have spoken out in support of his colleague, who has been the subject of offensive tweets following a passport row involving an interfaith couple.
Last week, Sushma Swaraj was trolled on Twitter and accused of appeasing Muslims after she helped an interfaith couple get passport. A Passport Seva Kendra official, Vikas Mishra, posted in Lucknow was transferred after the interfaith couple alleged that the official humiliated them at the passport office. According to the couple, Mishra asked the husband to convert to Hinduism and pulled up the wife for marrying a Muslim.
A section of social media had attacked Swaraj and the ministry for taking action against Mishra, claiming that he was just doing his duty. On Saturday, the external affairs minister organized an online poll asking people if they approve of these tweets. The external affairs minister had also conducted a poll on Twitter asking users whether they "approve" of such trolling to which 43 percent said yes and 57 percent no.
Rajnath Singh made the comments after attending a function to felicitate the medal winners of the 17th World Police and Fire Games, which was held last year at Los Angeles, California, USA during August 7-16. Singh was the chief guest at the function organized by All India Police Sports Control Board (AIPSCB) to felicitate the medal winners. A union home ministry spokesperson said that the 101-member Indian Police contingent returned with a record-breaking haul of 321 medals from the 17th World Police and Fire Games.
"The contingent bagged 151 Gold, 99 Silver and 71 Bronze medals in the seven events they participated in the Games. It is a rarest of the rare occasion where each team member won a medal irrespective of individual or relay events in which they participated," he said. In these games, about 8,000 and more sportspersons from 68 countries from all over the world took part in about 83 events whereas Indian Police contingent participated only in seven sports events i.e. Athletics, Archery, Wrestling, Boxing, Judo, Swimming & Shooting and gave their best performance breaking earlier records.