Today is a sad day for us at rightlog. Someone associated with the TFI (The Frustrated Indian) family for long, Shefali Vaidya, has been targeted online by an elected representative. Shefali needs no introduction. Apart from having been one of the initial admins of The Frustrated Indian and having written articles on tfipost.com, she has become a household name. Her columns on several platforms, her hard-hitting social media posts, her talks and her television appearances have inspired many on our side of the aisle, and left the leftist ecosystem irked.
Shefali of late has also emerged as an important voice in the effort to reshape the false narratives around Indian history and culture. She has played an important role to bring the saree and Goa’s history (especially the bit about the inquisition and the role played by the church) to the limelight. The leftist cabal of course cannot see an intelligent, confident, saree-clad woman who espouses Indian values, constantly expose their lies and hypocrisy. She has outshined them time and again, both in terms of class and wit. The ecosystem therefore has gotten very personal in their attack when it comes to Shefali.
This is not the first time Shefali is being attacked at such a personal level. It has happened in the past too, to the extent where even her family has been dragged in. But this is perhaps the first time that an elected representative has attacked her in this way. A photoshopped picture of her with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had been doing the rounds on certain Facebook pages. One Modi-baiting page particularly, promoted this photoshopped picture. But what is shocking is that it was picked up and shared by Jignesh Mevani in a Tweet. Jignesh Mevani is no longer a small-time casteist politician, but an elected representative propped up by the Congress Party. The photoshopped image was accompanied by a derogatory joke.
https://twitter.com/jigneshmevani80/status/1001507199993036800
Jignesh Mevani was touted by the media as the man who would put an end to the Modi wave, by finishing the BJP in the prime minister’s home state. How that ended is well-known. But what a downfall for a man who was once projected as the opposition’s answer to prime minister Modi. Today he is simply a Twitter troll, sharing photoshopped images with derogatory jokes. The universe has shown him his place.
But what is shocking is that the man is an elected representative. The woman he has targeted is a private citizen. What happens to the country if this is how elected representatives treat private citizens? This is exactly how systems collapse when people are too small-minded to see anything beyond their petty personal agendas. But using an electronic platform to cause distress to a woman is, according to certain legal experts, against the law. Shefali herself has told tfipost.com that she is contemplating legal action, and has already alerted the Pune Police on Twitter. One would expect lawmakers to know these laws, but then again, this is just a casteist anarchist that the Congress Party has propped up. We cannot expect anything from him. His understanding of the law seems to be as low as the level of his upbringing. It is hoped that he is taken to task and made an example of.
Shefali has rattled the ecosystem. They do not know how to counter her, and they do not know what to counter her with. She has, much like Smriti Irani, brought out the ecosystem’s true colors. Those who play victim day in and day out remain mum when someone like Shefali is attacked. Those who play the woman’s card turn a blind eye. Shefali has exposed their hypocrisy. This bunch has no principles or values apart from advancing their political agenda. They conveniently play different cards, but the underlying motive is never lost.
