Sabrina Siddiqui, the White House correspondent of the Wall Street Journal who asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi a question on alleged discrimination of minorities in India during his visit to the US, has been attacked online by pro-Hindutva social media users on Twitter.
The trolls highlighted her Muslim heritage and connections to Pakistan by having a parent from that country. Head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s information cell Amit Malviya termed the question as 'motivated'.
Here's what Siddiqui asked PM Modi: "Mr Prime Minister, India has long prided itself as the world’s largest democracy, but there are many human rights groups who say that your government has discriminated against religious minorities and sought to silence its critics. As you stand here in the East Room of the White House, where so many world leaders have made commitments to protecting democracy, what steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech?"
To the question, Modi responded, “Democracy is our spirit. Democracy runs in our veins. We live democracy…our government has taken the basic principles of democracy…we have always proved that democracy can deliver. And when I say deliver, this is regardless of caste, creed, religion, or gender. There is absolutely no space for discrimination.”
One of her trolls tweeted, “Though answered extremely well by @narendramodi , I wonder on whose behalf did @WSJ journalist @SabrinaSiddiqui ask the question ? 1 . Leftist 2. Islamists 3. Country for whom she prays for” Another user wrote, “Sabrina Siddiqui is White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal. She is daughter of an Indian-Pakistani father and a Pakistani mother. Now, you can guess the reason of her question based on the agenda.”
Malviya, in his tweet, also took a dig at President Joe Biden’s 'cold' response to a similar question. Biden had said, “Well, look, the Prime Minister and I had a good discussion about democratic values. And — and there is a — there is the — that’s the nature of our relationship: We’re straightforward with each other, and — and we respect each other.”
Siddiqui the great-great grand-daughter of philosopher Sir Syed Ahmad Khan took to Twitter to quash some of the trollers, posted pictures of her cheering for the Indian cricket team and wrote, “Since some have chosen to make a point of my personal background, it feels only right to provide a fuller picture. Sometimes identities are more complex than they seem.”
Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, in support of Siddiqui, wrote, “Sabrina @SabrinaSiddiqui you need not worry, you don’t have to prove anything. You have done a great job as a Journalist. Full marks to you. BJP CM Assam has already proved his leader @narendramodi wrong. @PMO @INCIndia @BJP4India.”
Supriya Shrinate, Congress Chairperson of Social Media and Digital Platforms wrote, “You are a fearless journalist - and that’s all that matters. @SabrinaSiddiqui”
Another troll had written, “A Pakistani Islamist at Wall Street Journal ambushed Modi at press conference today. This lying hater Sabrina Siddiqui has never in her life said 1 word about Pakistan’s brutal repression and assaults on women, and minorities. She only attacks India. Hate is in DNA of Pakistanis.”