I was listening to this interview of pollster Pradeep Gupta with Barkha Dutt and this line stuck out. {Copied at relevant point}
Last few assembly elections including the Maharashtra landslide were suggesting that direct cash transfers to women 1 year prior to elections was turning elections sharply in favor of incumbent. Notable examples being BJP in MP in 2023, JMM in Jharkhand 2025, BJP in MH 2025 etc.
All 5 states went into handout mode in late 2025-2026 for this election, but incumbents have only one in 2 small states out of the 5 states. Most notably – DMK which has spend significant amount from state funds last year {apart from usual vote for Cash campaign} has lost big. My contacts in TN tell me that both DMK and AIADMK had spend their significant party coffers on cash for votes – whereas T Vijay had not – only giving away flags and whistles. {not sure if this is 100% true but seemed to be the sentiment}.
If true this truly is the biggest positive of these election results.
Also appending Shekhar Gupta’s post
Key takeaways from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala elections
Matuas – Dalits mostly from Bangladesh – who are one of the communities specifically touched by SIR had backed BJP despite that – owling to increased violence against them in Bangladesh :
Why Bangladesh played a big role in BJP’s West Bengal win
Ayan Guha, British Academy International Fellow at the Department of Anthropology, University of Sussex, told ThePrint that while it is a fact that a substantial section of the Matuas has suffered exclusion from electoral rolls due to SIR, it seems they have chosen to stay with the BJP this election. The reason, Guha believes, is Bangladesh.
“While this exclusion has created anxiety and frustration, it is quite evident that the BJP still remains their preferred choice. It clearly appears that widespread violence and atrocities committed on the Hindus in post-Hasina Bangladesh have made them vote as Hindu refugees,” Guha said.
The questions for day after tomorrow :
1) what will happen to aiadmk? Will it end up as a gounder party, like jds of karnataka.
2) what do bengalis want. are they ready to take the hardships for sustaining development?
3) did BJP pull enough votes to spoil LDF’s chances in keralam? They have 11% and 3 seats. It their vote share becomes 17-18% it will matter real.
4) Muslims will have to make compromises with mainstream Hindus and not just seculars.
5) karthi Chidambaram on NDTV said that Tamilnadu voted for anyone who was seen as an alternative to dmk. Aidmk was not.
Vijay may become a cm guided by centre, and hence will be soft.
6) Indi alliance will split. BJP will ditch eps.
On West Bengal specifically:
The SIR seems to have worked. Arguably the entire point of the exercise was political engineering to make sure that the BJP would take the state. Presumably, the excluded voters would not have voted BJP.
This is not to say that there aren’t other factors that went against Trinamool.
But definitely this goes against the idea that West Bengal was the center of resistance to BJP and that there is something special about the Bengali character.
Example of sweeping hot take right here. 😀
If you are truly interested in learning about the factors that influenced these results, perhaps have a look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2gnmyEZAlQ
Otherwise, please feel free to indulge in your elite intellectual fantasies from the myriad yellow journalism portals from India you seem to frequent.
FYI, as GL has already stated below, one of the communities severely affected were the Matuas. They still polarized towards the BJP because they saw what Islamists in power can do right next door in Bangladesh.
“Yellow journalism”– The Wire and Scroll are respected center-left news sources. The fact that you are so far to the right that you consider them “anti-national” is meaningless to me.
Also for the record this is Gaurav’s thread not BB’s. I make it a point to stay away from BB’s threads.
Thanks for telling an Indian what is Centre-Left and what is Far Right in Indian politics. Any other pearls of wisdom that the Saheb may wish to impart?
Calling The Wire and Scroll “anti-national” etc is a go-to move of Modi Bhakts.
Nothing surprising there.
First, I did not use the phrase “anti-national” but that you index on it so much is quite telling of your priors.
Second, I am not a Modi Bhakt. I have never voted for the BJP and perhaps never will but even if I was, I am an Indian and you have no right or standing to tell me what is good for me or my country. You are an ignoramus about both India and Indians who thinks he knows best.
Third, if a Pakistani nationalist is defending narratives that usually don’t find accordance with the large majority of Indians then perhaps it is anti-National. After all, you are a self-styled Pak Nationalist and you have called India a hostile state so why should I trust your bona fides for Indian policies. If you think something is bad for Indian then it surely must be good. Go sing praises of your Failed Marshal!
“You are an ignoramus about both India and Indians who thinks he knows best”– The same can be said of you regarding Pakistan. It doesn’t stop you from opining here.
Even if The Wire’s narratives resonate with Pakistanis, it doesn’t make the publication “anti-national”. It is a fact that the vast majority of the publication’s audience is domestic. There are a lot of Indians who are against Modi.
The same can be said of you regarding Pakistan. It doesn’t stop you from opining here.
You are the one who couldn’t help himself and made an exception to your own vow to stay away from discussing India by posting on the SIR, elections etc. Can’t have it both ways. If anything, BB, RNJ and I combined post far less about Pakistan than you about India.
I don’t know about you but BB and RNJ comment incessantly about Pakistan.
I offered a “ceasefire” that I would not post about India’s internal affairs if the Indians here didn’t post about Pakistan’s internal affairs.
That offer was not taken up so now everyone is free to post about whatever they want.
Instead of complaining, you can write your own posts.
Maybe @Kabir should introspect why such “center-left” publications do not exist in Pakistan.
There is a reason the single digit number of Pakistan “center leftists” are found impotently arguing on the internet than actually do something on the ground in their own far-right undemocratic country.
No Pakistan is a leftist – far or center. Being Pakistani itself means you start to the right.
I had said that ALL Pakistani political parties start to the right of the BJP by virtue of being Pakistani.
Same applies to people.
“Center leftists” Pakistanis who justify “Islamic” Pakistan without which Pakistanis would be “Indians” are politically to the right of the “Saffroniate” here who are actual centrists and mostly agnostic.
To be a leftist Pakistani you have to be against the TNT, a far right philosophy. Doesn’t mean partition will be reversed (even Indians don’t want it) but there should be acceptance of the wrongness of it. Just like white leftists accept the wrongness of slavery or colonialism.
Omar Ali and Sabahat Zakaria are the only true Pakistani leftists I have seen. Everyone else is “cosplaying”, a favorite pastime of the Pakistanis.
Well said! Comparing political spectra across India and Pakistan is a fool’s errand. One begins where the other ends.
And the discussion is moot to begin with. In India, politics determines outcomes. In Pakistan, outcomes (for the military) determine policies.
I’ve realized that there is a huge insurmountable gap between Dharmic agnostics and “agnostics” from Abrahamic traditions. Daresay there should be a separate wording for “agnostics” separating the polar opposite theological persuasions.
Nāstik would probably define most of the so called Saffroniate here?
Nastik means atheist.
I’d assume the Saffroniate here might do some rituals etc in private capacity but don’t particularly care for imposition of it by the state.
Not atheist in the Abrahamic sense I think. Most Hindus will visit temples or perform some rituals while identifying as nāstika. I would probably use nāstika in a wider sense to encompass both agnostic and non-theistic beliefs; not necessarily atheism in a strict sense.
This is as per Wiki:
In current Indian languages, such as Hindi or Bengali, āstika and its derivatives usually mean ‘theist’, and nāstika and its derivatives denote an ‘atheist’; however, the two terms in ancient- and medieval-era Sanskrit literature do not refer to ‘theism’ or ‘atheism’.[3] In ancient India, āstika meant those who affirmed the sanctity of the Vedas, ātman and Brahman, while nāstika, by contrast, are those who deny all the aforementioned definitions of āstika; they do not belive in the existence of self or Ishvara (God) and reject the sanctity of the Vedas.[4]
Personally, I’m somewhere in between agnostic and nāstika. I don’t believe any human written text is the word of any God. I find rituals tedious and anchored in patriarchy which is a red rag for me. Worse yet are men and women supporting it in the name of tradition. Conciousness exists manifesting as Brahman but I don’t believe everything in the Vedas.
Most of the hindu atheists like many western atheists are also susceptible to forces of nationalism, ethnicity and culture.
In Indias cases, being atheists does not mean you are more likely to take the time to learn about other people culture leading to empathy. If anything since many seem to want to still.claim the privelge that comes from being a part of the group aome hindu atheists are even more anti muslim or Christian.
I have clarified repeatedly that whatever antipathy I have towards India comes from Pakistani nationalism and not from religious bias. I’m not a particularly religious person. I don’t particularly have strong feelings about Hindus qua Hindus.
As a Pakistani, I have certain views on the actions that the Indian state has taken against Pakistan going back to 1947–just as Indians have views about the actions the Pakistani state has taken against India.
This also applies to atheists from muslim or christian communities( see Jinnah) the exception to this trend seem to be people who develop a deep dislike for the practitioners of their former religions and are as a result quite antagonistic.
There are many examples of this one can find.
“Hindu” atheists do not support India being a Hindu nation with extra rights for Hindus like Pakistani leftists do about Pakistan.
“Pakistani nationalism” IS “Islamic nationalism”.
With due respect to K, he does not support the legal discrimination but nationalism is a kind of drug that makes you defend the indefensible
We saw it with western atheists during the iraq war, see it with how pakistani leftists justify the outsized role of the army while admitting that it has a conflict of interest in keeping the pot boiling.
And while many hindu atheists may not support religipus discrimination, I am not going to expect them to stand in the way of those if they are convinced that their culture is under threat which is evidently not difficult to do.
“I am not going to expect them to stand in the way of those if they are convinced that their culture is under threat which is evidently not difficult to do.” – This is a hypothetical and an opinion.
Let us not speak in hypotheticals/opinions but actual realities.
I don’t think being an atheist translates into empathy or lack thereof towards other people. It only means that your threshold of tolerance for religious nonsense is significantly lower than that of a believer.
Like I mentioned before, a Hindu or more generally a Dharmic agnost is a completely different kettle of fish from an agnost or atheist from an Abrahamic tradition. The Dharmic worldview is by nature far more forgiving and open independent of God(s) and theology compared to the angry God and theology of Abraham.
I wouldn’t draw a parallel. You will always find examples to the contrary.
I think most of these come from the fact that many Indians need to be part of a group to live and thrive in this country and whatever sympathy thst maybe there is because they dont want to lose access to priveleges.
This is also seen in Indian christians and muslims as well where the agnostic go along with the religious rituals to be part of and gain benefits of a community.
And furthermore, there are many former agnostics from a dharma background who are also behave the same way as those from abrahamic backgrounds, Pranav and Vimoh come to mind. We csn even look at subs like r/atheismindia where we see people who are similar to their counterparts elsewhere.
And finally many ambedkarites also display similar behaviour to western agnostics.
And furthermore, there are many former agnostics from a dharma background who are also behave the same way as those from abrahamic backgrounds, Pranav and Vimoh come to mind. We csn even look at subs like r/atheismindia where we see people who are similar to their counterparts elsewhere.
If anything, it reflects their lack of grounding in Indian philosophy. Their content is basically applying neo-Atheism talking points to an Indian context. Nothing original in terms of re-interpreting or contextualizing Indian/Dharmic atheism/agnostic schools of thought like the Charvakas or Ajivikas. Being nominally Hindu doesn’t mean their perspective are Hindu/Dharmic in anyway. The overwhelming majority of well educated Hindus are largely deracinated and haven’t the foggiest about Indian philosophy.
And finally many ambedkarites also display similar behaviour to western agnostics.
Could you please elaborate what you mean by this? And by Ambedkarites here do you mean the university educated Ambedkarites or those on the streets?
I think I should have mentioned this, a large force behind western critiques of religion are less due to it being true and more due to the social, political and cultural dominance it has. Since being true is a huge part of why this is so, the critique focuses on disproving this.
Many hindu atheists who are sympathetic dont want to erode the social and cultural dominance of their birth religion as they also want to benefit.
Those who I have mentioned dont care about this, and would like to see its domiance reduced, along with that of other religions. With this goal in mind they are applying the same western perspective properly.
//Could you please elaborate what you mean by this? And by Ambedkarites here do you mean the university educated Ambedkarites or those on the streets?//
Both, committed ambedkarite, whether they are university educated or not, critique with the perspective of challenging social dominance, like kany of their western counterparts
Those who I have mentioned dont care about this, and would like to see its domiance reduced, along with that of other religions. With this goal in mind they are applying the same western perspective properly.
You cannot divorce cultural mores from the religious milieu they evolved in and you definitely cannot divorce it from any or all religion. Reducing the so called dominance of native traditions is just a trojan horse to import “Western” traditions which itself is just a euphemism for Judeo-Christian values. To clarify, this by this I mean even values/systems that evolved as a reaction to Judeo-Christian values, which don’t transpose to Asian cultural contexts quite as well. For e.g. importing (for the lack of a better word), “secularism” in to Indian context when “pluralism” is a much more suitable value here.
I am not sure if my comment fits here :
When western wokefied Indian youngesters were defending removing statues of Cecil Rhodes and confedereate generals, their Indian counterparts agreed with them and started a campaign to demolish kutub minar as it was a invader’s monument.
That ended the debate…..
What I’d like to know – will the BJP absorb the syndicate goons that had shifted over from the Communists to the TMC. Is it even possible to ‘run’ WB without the gangs of thugs patronized over almost 6 decades and will the BJP hold them to account for their actions especially in the post 2021 post AE violence.
That is what we will see. Because if the BJP does do so then WB may never be able to escape the terror of syndicate raj for decades to come
Especially if these people join hindutva organizations or make their own and use things like cow protection, stopping inter religious relationships and other anxieties to cover up their own actions.
Sincerely hope not. That vicious cycle needs to be broken.
My understanding of the Bengali street is limite and priors are to assume that politics flows upwards and the goons are just coopted
Lol at Pakistanis opining about Indian elections when they have never had a PM complete their term and the army massively rigs their elections.
Like Babar Azam trying to give tips to Virat Kohli on how to bat.
Sit down.
The intent is consistently mala fide. Try and come up with the worst possible interpretation hostile to Bharat, and you can bet our resident ….WWE superstar will be spouting it.
Passive aggressive.
Look in a mirror. You constantly come up with the “worst possible interpretations hostile to Pakistan”.
They are allowed to opine; you write on Pakistan incessantly?
Should the whole Commentariat stay in all their lanes and not hazard anything?
They are allowed to opine. Just like I am allowed to retort to that opinion.
Same in reverse.
And I only talk about Pakistan in the context of India (partition/geopolitics/history etc) unlike @Kabir who is a frequent spammer of The Wire articles which have got nothing to do with Pakistan whatsoever.
What do West Bengal elections even have to do with Pakistan? It is not even a border state and doesn’t even have a common culture/language.
So if he does bad faith “hot takes”, there will be push back.
I also find the Pakistani projection that we are obsessed with them extremely telling. Despite claiming that he will restrict himself to India content only when the context requires, K couldn’t help but post link after link about India’s follies in the post Op Sindoor world while most of the Indian commentariat was least bothered and happily enjoying the results discussions. I wonder if his deepest, darkest desire to be Indian lol.
//I also find the Pakistani projection that we are obsessed with them extremely telling//
We are kind of obsessed with pakistan as a country. Just look at out mainstream media.
Well said!
My contention is that India (at least the ruling party) is much more obsessed with Pakistan than Pakistanis are with India.
As a malevolent entity, not as a people/culture.
Like Mordor or White Walkers from fantasy.
Reverse is not true as can be seen by the fascination with Indian movies or politics by @Kabir.
Have you seen our media coverage?
Why are they talking about inflation in Pakistan or how it has been embarrassed if not to stroke the schadenfreude that a large section of Indian populace does have.
Conversely have a look at the comment section of pakistani YouTube channels, it is very clear who these youtubers target audience is.
You are making a statistical mistake here. A common logical fallacy.
Youtube comments on Pakistani channels being majority Indian is not equal to majority of Indians caring about Pakistani channels.
Let me put it this way – Majority of comments on this site are by Indians. That does not mean majority of Indians know about this site. A very very small percentage does.
India is more populous and richer/more literate than Pakistan hence there are way more Indias on the net (even more compared to the population advantage). Pakistani Youtubers are simply taking advantage of this fact.
Ask a random Indian about who the biggest Pakistani movie star is. They won’t be able to reply. Maybe say Fawad or Mahira because they worked in Bollywood (are they currently?). Pakistanis know all about Ranbir and Ranveer etc.
If we are playing the statistical game here a majority of pakistani are also unaware or uninterested in India, we are only engaging with the top of the society with internet access and enough time to dedicate to leisure. Most Pakistanis are also too busy to indulge in fights on the internet and like many Indians may havr more local concern.
Furthermore you misunderstand the kind of interest the average Indian and Pakistani have with regard to each other. It is not one driven by genuine quest for knowledge or understanding but schadenfreude. The average Indian may not know about how pakistans government works but knows Imran Khan had an election stolen from him to berate Pakistan for having weak democracy. They know that it has worse inflation thsn India and some cities are more polluted than Indias, all stuff to feed their schadenfreude
Pakistanis conversely also indulge in similar kind of schadenfreude where every misstep or setback or violence against muslims is food for their ego.
Both sections who do indulge in this are the privileged elite with too much time and many insecurities.
Agreed
“only engaging with the top of the society with internet access and enough time to dedicate to leisure”
Complete skill issue then.
Poverty/lower literacy/lack of internet access is a Pakistani problem not an Indian one.
And you will see plenty of “Pakistani elite” opining on Indian books and media on this site. Dare see you will see ANY reviews of Pakistani books by the far more numerous Indian contingent here.
Indian interest in Pakistan is for schadenfreude, not vice versa.
It is only one side begging to be allowed in the other’s league, playing bilateral cricket, being allowed to work in the other’s entertainment industry. The other side does not even care.
By “we” I meant the Indian commentariat. Of course the Indian state is obsessed with a enemy state who’s raison d’etre is India’s dismemberment.
The Indian state is as obsessed with “Pakistan” as the Pakistani state is with Afghanistan.
You have to be wary of the White Walkers. Their internal culture/intricacies occupy no one’s mind.
The Indian commentariat like most of the Indian people does have a curiosity of Pakistan but not just an enemy state but as a counterpart to ourselves. Otherwise why would so much of commentary about Pakistan be driven by a sense of schadenfreude.
Media circus is just that. Ordinary people don’t think of Pakistan(is) presumably as much. Too much stuff happening within India to spare any thought on those across the border unless its a Pahalgam or Op Sindoor like situation.
I mean think about it, do you think an ordinary Indian takes interest in local Pakistani politics?
The media circus is aimed at ordinary people who focus on Pakistan out of a sense of schadenfreude they may not take interest in local politics but do takr interest in food inflation or how many pakistans are jealous of India.
Even Kabir, like many Pakistanis only takes interest as far as it helps to justify the notion that creating Pakistan was correct. Hence why he focused on the disenfranchisement not the actual victory because he has his own reasons for taking a look at India.
Fair point. We all look for arguments to validate our own perspective.
I still think that the ordinary Indian is much too occupied with her / his own issues to care about Arnab or Arnab clones talking about Pakistan for whatever reasons.
Agreed.
I would say the ordinary Pakistani also really doesn’t care that much about India. There are enough domestic problems.
Since you brought me up directly, I am going to take the opportunity to clarify my position.
I would advise you not to make assumptions about me. I have written an entire essay describing my background and outlining my views. You are free to read it if you actually want to understand where I’m coming from.
https://kabiraltaf.substack.com/p/what-being-a-centre-left-pakistani
It’s been 80 years. The “notion that creating Pakistan was correct” doesn’t need to be justified. Pakistan is a reality. I’m actually not all that interested in this debate.
I am interested in India because I have blood relatives living in Agra. I don’t want them to be made second-class citizens in their own country. I also have a deep affection for my paternal grandmother’s culture (Urdu, Hindustani music etc). I’ve written about Qurratulain Hyder’s novels lamenting the decline of the composite culture of UP.
Finally, I am deeply invested in the idea of India as a secular state of all its citizens. I find it really sad to see India becoming yet another majoritarian state in South Asia.
Naah. Not the same.
Indians see Pakistan as a malevolent entity, a monolith like I mentioned. Indians have no idea who the CMs of various Pakistani states are. In fact most won’t even know the PM.
Kabir’s interest is far deeper. He knows who Mamats is.
And he loved Indian movies/books which has nothing to do with “the notion that creating Pakistan was correct”.
If Indians don’t know who Shahbaz Sharif is or who Maryam Nawaz is that’s just a reflection of their ignorance. Indians certainly know who Imran Khan is.
Also for your information Pakistan doesn’t have “states” but provinces.
I know who Mamta is because I am a person who is generally quite aware of the world around him.
On the point of loving Indian movies and books, I don’t think art needs to confirm to political borders. Vikram Seth, for example, doesn’t set the policies of the Government of India.
I have met Indians who love Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Ali Sethi etc. So I’m not quite sure what your point is there.
Most Pakistanis wont even know the number of states in our country much less who the CM is and frankly even Pakistan seems to see India as a malevolent entity.
As I said the interest is largely driven by schadenfreude with exceptions among people who genuinely are interested in learning about the culture of another place.
Officially, India is seen as a hostile state.
But that doesn’t stop people being interested in the common culture (Bollywood etc). However, anecdotally “Operation Sindoor” and “Dhurandhar” have turned many Pakistanis off from Bollywood.
Naah not even the same.
Monkey balancing doesn’t work here. It is not even the same.
There are Pakistanis actively cheering for Kohli and wearing his shirts in matches in Pakistan. Nothing of that sort happens in India.
Pakistanis see India as the source of their civilizational heritage too, not just a malevolent state. Hence keen interest in Indian politics and a wish for the BJP to go out of power so they can start partaking in Indian culture again like the good old days.
The desire to play cricket, work in movies/music, appreciation of culture etc is completely one sided.
Their very foundational myths, the language they speak, their culture is all derived from India.
This can be seen with the popularity of Indian media in Pakistan including Dhurandhar, which is still top 10 on Netflix even after 3 months.
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/top10/pakistan
I even saw Pakistani reels on X with the sequel’s music. The sequel too will break records there.
Your problem is that you believe art and culture belong to particular nation-states. This is not an intellectually tenable position.
Why is it surprising that Indian media is popular in Pakistan? Hindi and Urdu are essentially the same language.
agree with most of what you said in this thread.
no censorship on ‘bad’ or inaccurate takes, of course. Or bad faith deletions. But countering / questioning silliness should be equally allowed.
It is an accepted policy on BP that authors manage their threads as they please.
I will continue to ban you. You can keep complaining.
There will be no “ceasefire” on your terms. I will only unban you on my own terms–as and when I please.
@XTM – Exhibit A, apropos of my comment above. 2 faced behavior is not just obvious, it is brazen. As long as Kabir continues to treat BP as his personal messaging board and funnel to his substack, this issue is not going to be resolved. Pakistani elites may be used to servility from their serfs but you cannot expect that from us.
It is an accepted policy on BP that authors are free to manage their threads the way they please. This applies to everyone–not just to me.
RNJ is free to start his own threads. I’m free to ignore them.
“Pakistani elites may be used to servility from their serfs”– This is passive aggressive and uncalled for. There is a precedent thread on passive aggression.
Btw, you are now also banned from my threads since I don’t like your tone towards me.
I take this as mark of pride. May have escaped your notice that I haven’t commented or engaged on a single thread of yours for a while now. Have no intention of dealing with a spoilt brat.
It’s your prerogative to comment or not. I let you express views that were distasteful to me as long as you expressed them in a civilized manner.
It’s only when you became personally nasty that I have banned you.
“Spolit brat” is passive aggressive.
Yeah its tiresome dealing with his empty vessel pomposity. But I reserve the right to counter ….silliness if the mood strikes.
Passive aggressive.
Not a good look.
we are confused; what are we expected to do?
Authorial Autonomy is a key hard-won right at BP.
https://www.brownpundits.com/2026/04/23/kabir-the-anchor-of-the-crescent/
Thanks.
The policy that authors can moderate their own threads the way they like is even-handed and applies to everyone.
Instead of complaining about this, people are free to create their own threads. They can delete my comments. I don’t care.
As a matter of policy, I don’t engage with BB and RNJ’s threads.
Yawn.
Your choices, and your words, do a very accurate job of portraying your perspective. You can continue to fear my words on ‘your threads’.
Get well soon 🙂
There is a very clear policy on BP that authors are free to moderate their threads the way they like.
You have raised this issue multiple times and have been told by XTM what the policy is.
Instead of complaining, you can create your own threads. Aren’t you an author?
But of course complaining is easier.
I don’t “fear” your words. I’m just no platforming you. That’s my prerogative.
And I’m enjoying how frustrated it makes you.
Hiding your bad faith deletions behind ‘policy’ is, to use a word you appear to be fond of, disingenuous. Not to mention outright aggressive, from a person who constantly whines about seeing ‘passive aggressive’ shadows when his perspective and subjective opinion get challenged.
It is quite disrespectful and just bad manners to ‘ban’ co-authors from discussions, especially when you repeatedly stoop to discussing said co-author and engage in outright misrepresentation of views. This is not a ‘policy’ question, its basic ground rules for civilized discourse.
Insisting on a right to ‘delete’ comments simply because of who makes them, is petty entitlement. You are free to continue doing it of course, and it continues to reflect quite accurately on your perspective. And others -myself and NdG included, are free to call you out on it.
Stop complaining. It just makes you look childish.
As an author, I have the ABSOLUTE right to decide what comments appear on my threads. This is not up for debate.
You are free to create your own threads.
You are the last person to speak about civilized discourse. “Hate boner” was not civilized. Neither was “taqqiya”.
To give you an analogy, you are like a person insisting on entrance to a home when the homeowner has clearly stated that you are persona non grata. This isn’t going to get you anywhere.
I’m bored now. Feel free to carry on.
You have no ‘homestead’ right on BP – you and I are both contributors. Yet you constantly try to throw your weight around and act as if you are some sort of Feudal overlord.
Its not just me who has an issue with your abject nasty discourse. Clearly “some introspection is needed”.
Clearly you didn’t understand the analogy.
I have the right to decide who can comment on my threads. That’s not up for debate.
As for “nasty”, people who use phrases like “hate boner” have no business talking about “nasty discourse”. This is hypocrisy of the highest order.
I never used that phrase with you, but you are all about dishonest weaponizing of BS – reflects your petty hostility towards your so-called “number one on enemy list” quite accurately.
I pity your pettiness, and your inability to rise beyond personal prejudice.
“I never used that phrase with you”– Well, you used it in the public sphere. Even you are not denying that.
Phrases used by adolescent boys don’t behoove middle-aged men.
Anyway, you are no one to speak about “civilized discourse”. It’s extremely hypocritical.
“Person insisting on entrance to a home when the homeowner has clearly stated that you are persona non grata”
Hmm, who does that remind me of?
Crying about getting into IPL, getting bilateral cricket, asking for access to Bollywood/Indian markets.
yes but we are not so sympathetic to BB’s complaints; sometimes he does Dhurandhar a bit too much.. even Humza knew when to take a break
Conflating me ( and NdG) with BB is….. not really on. I mean, I understand when the resident princeling does it, it suits his agenda.
The point is, that one author is quite consistently hostile to multiple commenters whose opinion runs contrary to his. And uses BB’s occasional excesses to justify his own against others.
Anyway, this whole topic is just a tired timesink. Lets move on to more high signal conversation.
I was the person who was threatened with a gun being held to his head. That’s not an “occasional excess”.
It’s quite worrying that you aren’t even capable (or willing) to call out BB for a direct threat of violence.
If someone on my “team” had threatened to hold a gun to your head, I would certainly have called them out on it.
That’s basic human decency.
Attacking me with someone else’s comment is more predictable silliness from you.
You were the person who was caught red-handed elevating shockingly racist “anonymous” comments on my threads. You lost your editor privileges due to such disgusting shenanigans. Your sad pretense at “liberalism” is hilariously transparent. So is your overt bigotry.
You didn’t make the comment but you didn’t call him out on it either.
In fact, you accused me of making it up.
You really need to examine your own role in creating this hostile situation. I’m certainly not perfect but neither are you.
I don’t think anyone on the “Saffroniate” has an issue with Kabir opining on Indian issues. The problem is the churlish, spoilt brat behaviour when the shoe is on the other foot with incessant complains about any criticism of Pakistan being anti-Pakistan etc. If any of the pro-India voices had made a sweeping statement like Kabir just did above, he would have immediately deleted it. It is actually a testament to the Saffroniate’s graciousness that he allowed Kabir’s rabid anti-India take here without any of the sharp moderation tactics that Kabir himself indulges in.
For the record, this is Gaurav’s thread not BB’s. I make it a point to stay away from BB’s threads. There is an “Open Thread” on the assembly results. You will not see a single comment from me.
Gaurav is on record as stating that he believes in freedom of speech (unless a comment is clearly abusive). That’s his prerogative.
I am clear about my own red lines. I have zero tolerance for anti-Pakistan remarks.
As for “churlish, spoilt brat” etc, this is all passive aggressive. Also, I really am not that bothered if randoms on the Internet call me a “spoiled brat”.
I’m always skeptical of sweeping interpretive hot-takes on the back of election results. Folks often see what they want to see in reading the tea-leaves of the ballot box.
Matuas – Dalits mostly from Bangladesh – who are one of the communities specifically touched by SIR had backed BJP despite that – owling to increased violence against them in Bangladesh :
Why Bangladesh played a big role in BJP’s West Bengal win
Deep Halder has been a find for me. Been so hard to find a relatively non-partisan take about Bengal politics without him.
BB: “What do West Bengal elections even have to do with Pakistan? It is not even a border state and doesn’t even have a common culture/language.”
First of all, you cannot tell intellectuals what they can and cannot write about.
There are many things happening in Pakistan that have nothing to do with India. For example, Imran Khan and whatever happens to him. It doesn’t stop people here from opining on that.
Secondly, West Bengal was one of the states most actively resisting the BJP’s Hindutva narrative. Mamta being ousted after 15 years will naturally concern Pakistanis.
Thirdly, SIR was blatant political engineering designed to achieve precisely this outcome.
Mamta being ousted after 15 years will naturally concern Pakistanis.
Wait why is it natural for Pakistanis to be obsessed about a state that is on the other side from their border with India? Was Mamta your ISI’s Hamza in India that we just ousted?
First of all, no one is “obsessed”. I made one post. I’ve moved on.
Bengal was seen as a major site of resistance to Hindutva. It’s naturally concerning to see the BJP sweep the state.
I have Bengali friends. Almost all my ustads in Hindustani music have been Bengali. My current teacher (Hindu) lives in Calcutta.
Anyone who calls himself an “intellectual” isn’t one.
Anyways, Pakistanis knowing so much about India including domestic policies and the CM of states attests to the greatness of Bharat.
Don’t think Indians even know the CMs of the different Pakistani states.
My knowledge of Pakistan is restricted to cricket and general partition era history/general security issues, basically in relation to India.
Pakistanis know a lot about India.
India is truly the USA of the subcontinent in this regard (information asymmetry).
Similarly asymmetry can also be seen by the knowledge of Bandish Bandits, Pakeezah, Heera Mandi, Garam Hawa etc while the only Pakistani movie I have seen (that too with skipping as it was very slow and boring) is Joyland.
Funny thing about Joyland is that I found it very “halka” or light – nothing truly transgressive or edgy. How conservative must Pakistan be that such a non-offensive movie got banned.
Dhurandhar part 1, which set the franchise, was basically Pakistani society for a Bollywood audience.
both sides are drawn to the other, with an intensity that is almost erotic, which is makes sense as they are two halves..
we were reading on this and want to right on these “double Muhajirs”, which Pakistan essentially abandoned (for shame): https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/may/09/we-have-a-right-to-live-in-dignity-biharis-in-bangladesh-fight-for-equality-and-jobs
but that is why we also disagree with this idea that the Islamicate inheritance *stayed* with India. Biryani and the Taj are not enough; that is simply appropriation.
it is an interesting ongoing topic. we would also suggest that it would be better to be gracious to – with K.. especially in light of your language and previous word usage.
as you know we rarely interfere in the Comment Boards (and to very good effect, it seems to be self-regulating) but we just are giving our advice. Kabir is allowed his contradictions, as we all are (we are multiplicities) but after Us, he has determined and defined BP in a fundamental way so yes he is an “intellectual.”
I think I should be allowed to have my disagreements and retorts.
That is the essence of free speech.
Plus my “Dhurandharing” does keep the worst excesses of the Crescentiate in check.
Plus I disagree regarding biryani and the Taj – you can’t appropriate what you have “created”.
Dhurandhar might be “appropriating” but not things birthed in territories that fall firmly within the Republic of India and are still in use – Urdu, biryani, nihari etc.
Also both sides are not drawn to each other to the same degree. Sabahat Zakaria often talks about this. That Pakistanis get whiplash when Bollywood actors show patriotism because they never saw Bollywood as not theirs.
Where was that constrained? The reason we are not sympathetic is that more often than not your comments carry a sting.
We prefer to see BP as Parliament; both sides may vigorously opposed but points taken off for discourtesy.
We rarely see K discourteous until and unless he is attacked. But we see that he is very easily personally attacked for his views.
It is ungentlemanly conduct. There is a reason why BP attracts the crowd it does and it is because we are resolutely and relentlessly fair, even against ourselves.
K’s transformation from bete noire to primes inter pares among the Authors is a reflection of that.. and he held firm to his ideals and convictions.
Your right to speak as freely as you do, both in threads and comments, was built on his resistance against our attempted tyranny to hyper-moderate BP. This “free speech” era on BP, where pretty much anything goes (except abuse and gratuitous offense) even if it is personally distasteful to me, is in no small part to our resident intellectual.
My “stings” are in response to his “stings”.
Let us not pretend @Kabir does not have malafide intentions regarding his Indian opinions.
We saw his behaviour during Asha Bhosle’s death and his repeated reposting of The Wire/The Scroll etc.
In a way he is even more of a “troll” than I am.
I just do retorts once in a while. My recent posts have referenced Pakistan (and Bangladesh) in very neutral terms minus any snark.
I don’t do reposts of Pakistani articles about their economic woes or democracy/military tussles etc.
He is as much an intellectual as the British are self-styled “gentlemen”.
I have published a book. My articles have appeared in academic journals (EPW, SAMAJ).
Can you say the same?
This is frankly a ridiculous argument.
As Britons we can tell you this is an ungentlemanly comment.
Kabir, as is any other Commentator or Author on BP, are entitled to their views so long as they are not abusive or offensive.
Why is there a need to personally insult; that is what makes it rather low-brow.
Nobody has even once questioned his right to speak or asked for him to express his views. It is the double speak and differing standards for India vs Pakistan that not very gentlemanly. Oh and of course, the repeated assertions of his elite heritage. I have followed this forum long enough to see a pattern. Still recall his very classist responses to an (apparently) Indian commentator basically calling him a IT coolie and asking him to get back to coding. Poor guy seems to have stopped engaging here altogether. Kabir probably fails to realize that it is an indictment of Pakistan that people like me and that guy are able to engage in this sort of “elite” conversation. He is probably enraged by us interlopers in his august company.
people are flowing rivers; we are all in a state of evolution.
We moderated this blog very differently last year to now. Kabir can’t be character assassinated on his past actions but his present ones..
Grace, and redemption, is the foundational axis of the Western tradition.
so constantly complaining while attacking others as ‘IT coolie’ isn’t ungentlemanly?
Pakistan would be way better off if it had “IT coolies”.
Sadly for them, that requires a level of investment and education which is just not present in the bankrupt “barely educated” (not my words) Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
They still ride Donkey Carts.
Even I, Hamza Ali Mazari have evolved.
The wayward rage of my youth has been replaced with a sense of grace befitting my new position.
Agree with the principle but haven’t seen that in practice, unfortunately. Yet to see any change in behaviour, tone or positions. BB atoned for his sins. While not comparable, Kabir hasn’t reflected on why his actions (not his opinions) causes so much rancour.
This is a very passive aggressive comment.
I may be “classist” but I have been called vile names like “Islamist” and “Islamofascist”.
You need to do some introspection.
Also, I only mentioned my heritage in the context of BB calling me a “shalwar wearing motorcycle driver”. There was a context.
You have hurled multiple personal insults at me – calling me an uneducated “lowly” IT worker, insulting my English etc. You got banned and had to apologize for it, which you did in a laughably insincere manner. Your utility to BP is because there is such a scarcity of literate Pakistani contributors. If there were enough Pak participants, you and your “passive aggressive’ petty silliness would be booted off before you could say “Glory to the Failed Marshal”.
Take it up with X.T.M. He clearly values my presence here.
He wrote an entire post calling me the “anchor of the Crescentiate”. I didn’t ask him to write that post by the way.
Your incessant complaining is getting tiresome. Especially when you have no moral high ground.
Lol, we all know what ‘value’ you add to BP. Its all good.
The reason the Pakistanis get thrown a bone every now and then is specifically to keep them on the site so they can be “pelaoed”, including by the admins themselves.
I am reminded of this famous meme.
In fact, this scarcity of literate Pakistanis in general is why the few Pakistanis who are here flock to this site.
Many of them have been banned/banished but still return to this “Saffroniate” dominated space simply because due to the low levels of literacy/education in Pakistan, they cannot have these sort of conversations which they crave so much with their fellow countrymen. They would love to have similar Pakistani spaces and there are many failed attempts at building one, but alas literacy/education remains a bottleneck.
Hence, they settle for aggressive “Saffroniate” bantering as a compromise.
Exactly.
India’s economic rise means that the Pak “elite” are probably on par with the Indian “middle class”.
Actual Indian “elite” won’t even be on the internet getting caught in debates but out enjoying the myriad opportunities available to them in India which are simply not present in Pakistan.
And considering the gap is increasing, soon the Pakistani “elite” will be engaging with the former “drivers” they look down upon who will be on par with them.
How certain intellectuals feel after publishing books via no name presses.
In the lands of the blind men, the one eyed is king.
Can be applied to almost all aspects of Pakistani society including ghante ka king Babar Azam.
BB: “Anyone who calls himself an “intellectual” isn’t one.”
I have published a book in both India and in Pakistan. My reviews have been published in academic journals.
For BB to question my intellectual credentials while writing under a pseudonym on the internet is beyond ridiculous. Information about where I went to university is in the public domain. The same cannot be said for BB.
On “Joyland”: Firstly, it was not banned all over the country but only in Punjab. The movie screened in cinemas in Sindh.
Secondly, you know very well that homosexuality is “haraam” in Islam. Obviously, a movie featuring a transwoman as an important character was going to face backlash.
When my brother was an editor at the New York Review of Books, he commissioned a piece on “Joyland”. You can read it if you actually want an informed take on the movie.
https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/04/09/flipping-the-script-in-lahore/
**My contacts in TN tell me that both DMK and AIADMK had spend their significant party coffers on cash for votes – whereas T Vijay had not – only giving away flags and whistles. {not sure if this is 100% true but seemed to be the sentiment}.**
This is true (info from folks in Chennai). In fact when a young voter (a Vijay fan) was asked about it; she said “He will distribute subsidies from his personal wealth, he will not drain the treasury”. This was on TV. It’s telling of the absolute lunatic sway this person had on even presumably educated voters! A messiah like hold which he amplified by leaning strongly into his Christian faith.
Strangely, I feel that personality cults are even more important down South than in the relatively less educated and poorer North. South Indian cinema perhaps?
Definitely TN and to a lesser extent KA and erstwhile AP.
From MGR and Jayalalitha to NTR and Dr Rajkumar and family; the stardom certainly manifested in personality cults spilling over into politics (not always a good thing).
Ofc not to forget the latest splashy debutant Vijay!
BB: “There is a reason the single digit number of Pakistan “center leftists” are found impotently arguing on the internet than actually do something on the ground in their own far-right undemocratic country.”
Pakistan People’s Party is a center-left party (see Wikipedia). They are in power in Sindh. Benazir was PM (twice). She was the first female PM in the Muslim world. Asif Zardari has been president of Pakistan twice.
So the number of center-leftists in Pakistan is certainly not in the “single digits”. This is an ignorant take.
DAWN is a center-left publication.
If your criteria of being a leftist Pakistani is that one has to be against TNT may I present you Pervez Hoodbhoy?
Anyway, I’m not a leftist and have never claimed to be one. I’m center-left. The Muslim- majority provinces of British India had the absolute right to opt out of being part of a Hindu-majority nation-state. This is called the right to self-determination.
You are a right-wing fundoo who insists on the primacy of Islam and justifies muslim religious hegemony to the extent of apartheid. Doesn’t matter how many times you keep calling yourself ‘center left’. Weaponizing liberal terminology to ‘attack’ your opponents in debate doesn’t make one “center” or “left”. Its a signature habit of extremists, one that they can’t help but resort to.
Kauwwa chale Hans ki chaal, lekin aakhir mein kauwwaa kauwwa hi rahega.
You are a right-wing Indian. So this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Oh, you know Urdu! How cute 🙂
Clearly, I live rent-free in your head. Grow up.
Hahaha we are now claiming Hindi too, are we?
Like I have mentioned in my post.
https://www.brownpundits.com/2026/05/05/you-cannot-be-a-leftist-if-you-support-fundamentally-illiberal-positions/
Kabir: “I have published a book in both India and in Pakistan. My reviews have been published in academic journals.
For BB to question my intellectual credentials while writing under a pseudonym on the internet is beyond ridiculous. Information about where I went to university is in the public domain. The same cannot be said for BB.”
And despite all that, you are my equal here as an author.
And I actually write posts – not regurgitate book reviews from my substack to push those posts down cause my feelings have been hurt like you do. 😂😂😂
Kabir: “Pakistan People’s Party is a center-left party
DAWN is a center-left publication.
I’m center-left.”
All of these are far right. You cannot be center-left in a far right authoritarian country.
If you are actually “center-left” say something about the death of democracy and takeover by the “Pak Fauj” in public and fight against it, than opining on other county’s internal matters. Say something about Ahmadis and minorities having less legal rights in Pakistan. You know, like “leftists” are supposed to do.
What kind of “center-leftist” venerates Pak Fauj and military takeover of democracy.
Pakistanis have to realize being “center-left” means being center-left regarding one’s OWN country not regarding someone else’s. 😂
Supporting Pak Fauj in your own country while supporting Congress in India or Democrats in the USA is not “center-left” but “cosplaying” as one.
This is completely idiotic.
PPP is a center-left party. See Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a Pakistani publication.
“Your own country”– I’m an American national. The country I vote in is the United States of America. This is really getting boring now.
BB: “In a way he is even more of a “troll” than I am.”
This is not on. I did not threaten to hold a gun to anyone’s head. You did. So we are not the same.
For the record, I have no interest in “pushing your posts down”. I am perfectly capable of writing rebuttals on my own threads.
In the one instance you are complaining about, I didn’t know that you were posting. We both must have been creating a post at the same time.
Trust me, you’re not that important. You don’t live rent-free in my head.
Before questioning my intellectual credentials, perhaps you should reveal your real name and where you went to college? I doubt it was in the US and the UK.
Kabir: “Trust me, you’re not that important. You don’t live rent-free in my head.”
Oh but I do, Kabir. That is why you are writing so many posts as a retort to my offhand comments even explicitly mentioning my name. I haven’t mentioned you in any of my posts. You are the unimportant one here.
“Before questioning my intellectual credentials, perhaps you should reveal your real name and where you went to college? I doubt it was in the US and the UK.”
My real name is Hamza Ali Mazari. I did not go to college but learnt my trade in the rough streets of Lyari. Currently I am the head of a big conglomerate in Karachi living in a huge bungalow with my wife (from an eminent political family) and child.
Here I am with the ex-PM of Pakistan.
LOL, you are not a Bollywood character! I’ll leave it there.
As for your complaint: One cannot rebut an argument without mentioning the person whose argument one is rebutting.
I have no issues with you mentioning my name or my publicly available comments in your threads.
It’s quite hypocritical to question the intellectual credentials of a real person while hiding behind a fictitious screen name. But you do you.
Kabir: “PPP is a center-left party. See Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a Pakistani publication.”
Being center left in a far right country is still being far right.
It’s like saying nicest smelling fart or something.
“I’m an American national. The country I vote in is the United States of America. This is really getting boring now.”
By citizenship only (if you actually are). You live in Pakistan and identify with that identity. All your posts etc are regarding India and Pakistan. An actual American would never justify military control.
American nationals can live wherever they want. They remain American nationals.
Do you need me to upload my passport? I’m not playing this game with you.
“All your posts are regarding India and Pakistan”– Yes. This is “Brown Pundits”. I’ve written on my Substack about American literature etc. That doesn’t fit the scope of this forum.
I get into @Kabir’s head so much he is directly replying to me in violation of the agreement.
He just can’t get enough of me.
LOL, you are not a shirtless Ranveer Singh.
Carry on.
We would be careful if we were you; as you know if Kabir complaints that you are engaging with him. It’s a 20-40 comment removal and revocation of Authorial Rights.
You are not meant to reference or engage Kabir in any circumstance; those were the conditions for your re-entry after you had threatened him.
Kabir need only raise the complaint and we shall set a 40 comment removal fine and a week long revocation of Authorial Rights.
Otherwise in the interim remove every comment addressed to him or referencing him.
Authorial Autonomy does NOT extend to making personal threats.
I think it was both ways. And you can see he is the one who started engaging first.
I didn’t reply to him initially. I still haven’t.
He is the one who started replying.
I actually don’t mind his replying directly to me. It seems very passive aggressive to copy and paste each other’s comments and make new comments 🙂
This is of course predicated on his not using threatening language.
I actually got a good laugh out of his imaging himself as a shirtless Ranveer Singh.
Also, I don’t understand this fascination with Ranveer Singh. There are better looking guys at any Lahori gym.
Your rights are reserved. BB engaged you at his own risk since if you do get offended; it is a 40 comment removal and week long revocation of Author Rights.
So as long as he is happy to engage in an assymetric exchange. That is the price he has to pay for previous threatening language.
Kabir: “LOL, you are not a shirtless Ranveer Singh.”
Another direct reply haha.
Reminds me of the quote from Point Blank
For someone who complains so much about “cosplaying”, it’s kind of concerning that you have assumed the identity of a fictional character played by a Bollywood actor.
You clearly have some kind of homoerotic fascination with me. I’m honestly not interested.
Just in! Madam has refused to resign. Tinpot dictator at her lunatic best!
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bengal-election-results-election-commission-played-nasty-games-mamata-banerjees-big-attack-11451945?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll
In all the shenanigans on this thread, completely missed this. This may just be unprecedented. Mamta is willing to burn the place down to rule over the ashes. Makes me even more convinced that she just had to go.
Lol yes, I’ve been around a bit longer so I’m kind of immune to the shenanigans.
But yes, Mamata must go before she burns the place down!
“You clearly have some kind of homoerotic fascination with me. I’m honestly not interested.”
I am already taken. Sorry.
LOL. Like I said I’m not interested.
This is the girl who’s young enough to be his daughter in this movie?
“I have met Indians who love Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan”
Simply because they worked in Bollywood movies – the peak of their career lol
OK. There are lots of Indian fans of Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai.
Didn’t these dramas air on some Indian streaming site? Zee Zindagi?
I have seen comedy reels on Insta where this guy’s mother was so into Pakistani dramas she started speaking Urdu with a Pakistani accent and saying things like “salaam aleikum”. He made a whole skit out of it.
All this time I thought I had my own Major Iqbal on this site.
Major Iqbal had some swag and was a worthy enemy.
I have been messing around with Lulli Dakait lol.
“Also, I don’t understand this fascination with Ranveer Singh. There are better looking guys at any Lahori gym.”
NARRATOR: There aren’t.
Preferences are personal. My gym in DHA has plenty of very attractive bodybuilders.
Ranveer seems to have gotten fat–just judging by the picture you posted.
“OK. There are lots of Indian fans of Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai.”
“Didn’t these dramas air on some Indian streaming site? Zee Zindagi?”
There aren’t. Logical fallacy. India is bigger and richer than Pakistan so even a small micro minority looks big by Pakistani standards. Indian states are bigger than Pakistan economy wise including Vijay’s state TN so Pakistanis often fall into this misconception.
“I have seen comedy reels on Insta where this guy’s mother was so into Pakistani dramas she started speaking Urdu with a Pakistani accent and saying things like “salaam aleikum”. He made a whole skit out of it.”
Anecdotal experience. “Many” white Americans are also into Bollywood and make skits but that doesn’t mean Bollywood has the same penetration in the USA then vice versa.
One of the criticisms of Dhurandhar is the age gap relationship between the two leads.
I think it is wrong because of two things.
Because Pakistanis don’t really have their shows on streaming (who wants to watch cousin marriage slop) they think having shows on streaming means they are “popular”.
India has got like dozens of streaming platforms at this point churning out content on the regular.
When is the first Pakistani Netflix/Prime original coming out?
This is just getting tiring BB, if anything it shows your obsession with Pakistan.
Let everyone be; the same criticisms you make of Pakistan is what Westerners make of Asians..
Let’s avoid post-colonial comparators.
Everything I said was in reply.
Anyways, like you said – I’ll reply via high signal posts than getting engaged in mud fights in the comment sections.
The point is that many Indians are fans of Fawad, Mahira and Sanam because of “Humsafar” and “Zindagi Gulzar Hai”. You don’t speak for all 1.4 billion Indians.
“Barzakh” was also made for Zee Zindagi.
Anyway, I don’t believe art should stop at national borders so this conversation is neither here nor there.
Lulli Dakait enjoying the “petrol” in his gym full of “good looking” bodybuilders.
I have no idea where you are going with this, but if it’s meant to be homophobic or transphobic, I would quit while you are ahead.
Remember that as XTM says this is an “asymmetric exchange”.
No mention of any poster at all in this comment so don’t see why people might get worked over it.
This is a fictional character from Dhurandhar.
Don’t be disingenuous.
The context is perfectly clear.
Calm down.
Fictional characters who have nothing to do with any poster here are kosher.
“Context” is subjective and does not come under direct engagement/reference.
Lulli taking a bite of an “apple”.
Stop.
Remember “asymmetric exchange”?
Homophobia/transphobia is not funny.
Say the word – it’s 40 comment deletion and revocation of Author & Commentator rights for a week.
Our patience wears thinner..
Aiyyo you two, please just chillax!
Anyone knows where the Pakistani cricketer Taufeeq Umar is these days? Back in his playing days, he would be regularly owned by Indians.
I hope for his sake, it’s not the same nowadays.
Good old….. “Toffee Kumar”. Pakistani ex-cricketers are famous for bequeathing such analytical gems like ‘For my money, Taufeeq Umar is much more tailluntted than Sachin Tendulkar”.
“Hindutva’s main challenger was federal state identity. Has the fall of TMC and DMK ended that?”
By Shoaib Daniyal
https://scroll.in/article/1092603/hindutvas-main-challenger-was-federal-state-identity-has-the-fall-of-tmc-and-dmk-ended-that
Unfortunately yes, though this is not the end of the DMK persay. Mamata and her party are out.
https://x.com/sardesairajdeep/status/2051855958842953789
“MPORTANT Data point:
49 constituencies in West Bengal had winning margins lower than number of electors deleted in SiR
26 won by BJP, 21 by TMC, 2 by Cong
Average victory margin of BJP in 207 seats was an impressive 27,805 ,
Note: total of 90 lakh names deleted during electoral rolls. Over 34 lakh appeals pending before tribunals which is a sizeable number.
Net net: SIR may have affected marginal seats BUT did NOT influence final verdict in WB. It was HIGH ANTI INCUMBENCY in several regions that cost TMC after 15 years in power .
More details here:”
Shocked to see this comment made by the “Madison mawali”!! More so given that his bitter half is another shrill TMC banshee.
https://x.com/rgian8/status/2051622002860110021
It took a BJP victory for Congress to start reclaiming lost ground lol. Tbh, it also plays in to the BJP strategy of trying to compete with Congress rather than regional parties so may be the Bengal elections will turn out to be blessing in disguise for the Congress in the long run.
now congress is supporting Vijay to keep away communal forces. They want to keep BJP out of power. BJP has 1 seat!!! Vijay needs 10 seats.
Dmk has 39 seats on lokasabha. If gujju bhais manage dmk and expected TMC split, they will push the delimitation bill.!!
Aidmk is collapsed. It’s Mlas are falling head over heels to support Vijay.
Karnataka should give up the nataka in their name to Tamilnadu and take nadu from Tamils.
Penchant for drama in Tamilnadu is unlimited.