‘It Diminishes Him’: Gul Panag Slams Dhruv Rathee For Urging Foreign Journalists To Humiliate PM Modi

GUL PANAG VS DHRUV RATHEE: Actor, activist and former AAP member Gul Panag, who has often criticised PM Narendra Modi’s government in the past, lost his temper with the YouTuber Dhruv Rathee for “reducing” the office of Prime Minister of India. “Modi must be humiliated everywhere he goes”, Rathee said. At a formal event in Oslo other than a press conference, he tagged the Norwegian journalist who asked PM Narendra Modi a question. This comes after journalist Helle Lyng questioned PM Modi during his recent visit to the country with his Norwegian counterpart. Lyng even chased Modi to the elevator and posed a question. 

What did Dhruv Rathee say against PM Modi? 

In a post on X, Rathee, who has 25 million followers on YouTube, said foreign journalists will be doing a great service to India’s progress if they ask the PM questions. Modi “has not given a single press conference in 12 years since he became Prime Minister. He doesn’t even meet the minimum standards of transparency and accountability demanded of any leader”, wrote Rathee.

He added, “I feel that I have to urge the foreign correspondents from other European countries to ask him questions anywhere they go, even if he does not do it, he will be pushed to do so in front of people, and this will be an excellent service to India’s progress”, wrote Rathee who resides in Germany.

Gul Panag gives it back to Dhruv Rathee

On X, while replying to Rathee, she stated, “Not cool. You can dislike a Prime Minister, disagree with a government, protest, debate, and vote differently. That’s democracy. But reducing the office of India’s Prime Minister, the man, the office, and what he represents abroad, to a joke on foreign soil, doesn’t feel like the right thing or dissent, to me.” She concluded, “It diminishes him, the institution, and ultimately, us.” 

When Gul Panag criticised PM Modi’s government

The actor has been a critic of the government led by PM Modi on various issues, including farmers’ protests, national security, and civil rights. Gul Panag’s political alliance with AAP began in 2014 when the actor joined the party alongside her father, Lieutenant General H.S Panag, who had retired recently. Following her membership of AAP, Gul Panag was nominated as an AAP candidate for the Lok Sabha seat of Chandigarh in the 2014 general elections but she lost to BJP candidate Kirron Kher.

She criticised the government on its handling of the movement, spoke about “the deaths of protesters” and condemned the term “anti-national” used for the agitators.

Why did Gul Panag leave AAP?

Gul Panag broke ties with the AAP and left the party in June 2021, stating that the party was “kissing up to Khalistanis in Punjab,” which was an issue she had already alerted the party leaders regarding previously. Moreover, her father, Lt Gen (Retd) H S Panag, was associated with the AAP and had been counselling the party on strategic affairs and national security during this time.

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