Editor's note: This report has been edited to correct a quote attributed to Arvind Gupta of the BJP's information technology cell.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, having enjoyed the benefits of a sustained social media campaign that had a headstart over its rivals, is now protesting the the appointment of Kashmir-born Raheel Khursheed as head of the news, politics and government division at Twitter Inc's Indian unit. Khursheed's criticism of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has apparently irked the BJP enough to demand his ouster, never mind that Khursheed, a prolific user of the microblogging site, has candidly opposed the Congress too.
In his new role Khursheed, a well-known former Kashmiri journalist and online activist, is responsible for tracking and expanding Twitter's relationship with journalists, editors and politicians, and will also increase their active usage of Twitter.
The BJP and its associates now say Khursheed has in the past been severely critical of alleged human rights violations committed by the Army in Kashmir as well as of Modi's role in the 2002 violence in Gujarat.
Reuters
Arvind Gupta of the BJP's information technology cell is quoted in Mint as saying Twitter has been successful as a "neutral as well as open-ended platform" of communication. "I am afraid that this appointment will hamper that image in India," Gupta is quoted as saying.
Khursheed, 33, who hails from the South Kashmir's Anantnag district, was until recently director of communication at change.org, a US-based online social campaigning group. There he successfully oversaw several campaigns including one on juvenile justice in Kashmir and another called StopRape, a campaign after the 16 December gangrape in Delhi. He was unavailable for comment.
It appears that some tweets by Khursheed on Modi ahave invited the wrath of the right-wing bloggers who are seeking his immediate removal from the company.
Following the news of BJP's opposition to Khursheed's appointment, many Kashmiris responded on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Some chose to link the BJP's communal character with the issue, others raised the issue of lack of tolerance for differing views.
Editor-in-Chief of Rising Kashmir, Shujaat Bukhari, tweeted: "Happy for Raheel Khursheed for making BJP scary abt his appointment as Twitter India head. A Kashmiri has potential to be threat to a national party in India like BJP."
Showkat Nayeem, another Kashmiri scholar, tweeted: "BJP is an intolerant party which can't tolerate the personal opinion of the person."
Meanwhile, an online campaign was launched on Change.org, the very company where Khursheed worked until recently, seeking the removal of Khursheed. It is addressed to the CEO of Twitter Dick Costolo.
The petition has received 1,500 signatures. It reads: "While we the petitioners have no business of questioning Mr Khursheed's professional qualifications but his political bias and statements in the past makes us believe that he will not be able to discharge his duties in an unbiased manner. Mr Khursheed for past many years through his tweets has displayed sheer contempt and hate for NDA's Prime Minister Candidate Mr Narendra Modi, even calling him a mass murderer."
Khursheed's LinkedIn profile page says he now heads News, Politics and Govt. Partnerships at Twitter India.
In June 2012, he tweeted:
Okay guys much fun as this is, doesn't change the fact that NaMo oversaw a massacre & should go to jail for that. #TrollBaitTournament
— Raheel Khursheed (@Raheelk) June 2, 2012
In August that year:
He oversaw a Muslim massacre for fun. RT @ndtv Wrong to call Narendra Modi communal: Nitin Gadkari to NDTV
— Raheel Khursheed (@Raheelk) August 3, 2012
But Modi was hardly the only subject of his sarcasm.
Awww babieee. .@ndtv BJP has a habit of bad-mouthing the Congress: Sonia Gandhi in Rajasthan
— Raheel Khursheed (@Raheelk) November 23, 2013
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