Lallantop Editor, Saurabh Dwivedi stroked a huge controversy yesterday by tweeting a crass, distasteful meme that he about BJP supporters advocating use of condoms among the BJP supporters in order to ensure their extinction. The meme read, “For those who are still supporting the BJP, please use this we don’t want any more like you in this world”. Along with this distasteful meme, Saurabh Dwivedi also used this utterly disgusting meme to take a jibe at PM Modi by exhorting that the meme should go viral by using the customary Mitron (friends) that has got typically associated with the Prime Minister.
The distasteful meme and the ridiculous remark by Saurabh Dwivedi naturally invited intense outrage on Twitter. The fact that the editor of Lallantop, owned by India today group, shared such a meme also brought the editorial standards of the mainstream media outlet under the scanner.
This also brought into spotlight how an editor of an online web and video portal owned by a mainstream media outlet is behaving like a troll in order to attack a particular political party. It only exposes the prejudice that Dwivedi and the outlet that he works for carry against the BJP.
So @aajtak owned @TheLallantop's editor has this view for @narendramodi & @BJP4India supporters.
I am sure @aroonpurie approve of this.
Cc @AmitShah @JPNadda pic.twitter.com/qukRuMrk93
— Vikrant ~ विक्रांत (@vikrantkumar) January 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/ShuklaAnudesh/status/1215181858117316609
Succumbing to severe criticism on Twitter, Dwivedi has now removed the tweet, however, a screenshot of his ridiculous, crass tweet is still viral and he is not going to get away easily for the utterly disgusting remark. Dwivedi has sought apologise for the distasteful meme. He tweeted, “I tweeted a pic yesterday carrying an image and a sarcastic message about one political party. The content and tone of the tweet was unequivocally wrong.” He also said, “It was done in humour which misfired. It is against the editorial policy of LT to take any side. We are a young site and team. We made a mistake. My unconditional apology to all.”
I tweeted a pic yesterday carrying an image and a sarcastic message about one political party. The content and tone of the tweet was unequivocally wrong.
— Saurabh Dwivedi (@saurabhtop) January 9, 2020
Dwivedi’s excuse for sharing the meme is as ridiculous as the meme itself. He argues that the editorial policy of Lallantop is not to take any side and that tweeting the meme was a mistake. However, this mistake has only exposed his sham of political neutrality. The web portal is being clearly run with an anti-BJP agenda. The ostensible neutrality is just a means of ensuring that the audience somehow buys their propaganda. The meme was shared as a part of this larger insidious strategy only. However, Dwivedi removed the tweet only out of the severe criticism on Twitter which he couldn’t withstand.
