JOIN USComplaints filed against comedian Vir Das in Delhi, Mumbai
Right-wing supporters rushed to police stations to file cases against Vir Das for his viral video 'I come from two Indias', with the latest in Delhi, claiming that it has defamed the country and targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even as the comedian strongly defended his actions, saying one should "not be fooled by edited snippets".
After Maharashtra BJP legal adviser Ashutosh J Dubey filed a complaint in Mumbai, Delhi BJP spokesperson Aditya Jha approached Delhi Police seeking Das' arrest of Das, who has a "perverted mindset" and made a "desperate attempt" to tarnish India's image at the international level.
Dubey had claimed that Das willfully incited and made derogatory statements against India, Indian women and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vir Das had on Monday posted a 6:54 minute video monologue filmed at his show in Washington's Kennedy Centre, which is a "satire about the duality of two very separate India's that do different things", as described by the 42-year-old comedian. In the video, Das talks about some of the topical issues India is confronting at present, including battle against Covid-19, incidents of rapes, the crackdown against comedians and farmers' protests.
"Like any nation has light and dark, good and evil within. None of this is a secret. The video appeals to us to never forget that we are great. To never stop focusing on what makes us great. It (video) ends in a gigantic patriotic round of applause for a country we all love, believe in, and are proud of. That there is more to our country than the headlines, a deep beauty. That's the point of the video and the reason for the applause. Please do not be fooled by edited snippets," Das said in his statement.
He said, people "cheer for India with hope, not hate...clap for India with respect, not malice. You cannot sell tickets, earn applause, or represent great people with negativity, only with pride. I take pride in my country, and I carry that pride across the world. To me, a room full of people anywhere in the world, giving India an ovation is pure love. I ask of you, the same thing I asked of that audience...to focus on the light, remember our greatness, and spread the love."
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) November 16, 2021
The furore over the video was amplified as a section of Twitter posted clips from his monologue and highlighted one part where he said, "I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gang-rape them during the night." This led many to post comments and seek action against Das, who has made comments against the government actions in recent times.
In the video, he has also critiqued the way India behaves: I come from an India that has the largest working population under 30 on the planet but still listens to 75-year-old leaders with 150-year-old ideas.
In another portion, he refers to the opacity of the PM CARES fund, saying, "I come from an India where every time we get information we are always available to care for the Prime Minister but we cannot seem to get any information on PM CARES."
He also takes potshots at the ruling regime without taking names when he takes on the issue of farmers' protest: I come from an India where we take pride in being vegetarian and yet run over the farmers who grow our vegetables.
On petrol prices, he says, "I come from an India that is Hindu and Muslim and Christian and Sikh and Parsi and Jew and when we all up at the sky, we only see one thing together... the price of petrol."
On 'One Rank, One Pension', he had this to say, "I come from an India where we claim to fully support the troops until it comes to their pension plans."
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