Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambir recently lost his cool at cricket fans in Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka during the India-Pak match of the Asia Cup. While this is normal, a video of him making a controversial gesture towards a crowd of fans has stirred a political row in India. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took to X, formerly Twitter, and asked if Union Minister Smriti Irani would shout over this as she did over an alleged flying kiss gesture by Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha during the monsoon session of Parliament.
"‼️ SHAMEFUl GESTURE by BJP MP @GautamGambhir ‼️
◼️ BJP MP @GautamGambhir Shows Middle Finger to Indian cricket fans.
◼️ Will @smritiirani shout now over this vulgar gesture of the BJP MP to a stadium packed with Indian Fans Just like she did over an alleged Flying Kiss?" the party tweeted.
Congress leader Srinivas BV also shared the video and wrote "Presenting BJP MP Gautam Gambhir 👇"
'People Show Whatever They Want To Show'
After the incident, Gambhir said that what was being shown on social media had no truth. He said there were some Pakistanis who were raising 'ant-India slogans' and what he did was his 'natural reaction'.
"What is shown on social media has no truth in it because people show whatever they want to show. The truth about the video that went viral is that if you raise anti-India slogans and speak about Kashmir then the person before you will obviously react and not smile and leave. There were 2-3 Pakistanis there who were speaking anti-India things and things on Kashmir. So, it was my natural reaction. I can't hear anything against my country. So, that was my reaction..."
Earlier, he shared a social media post after the video went viral and drew massive flack from political leaders and netizens.
"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. Not everything is as it seems. Any Indian would react how I did to the kind of slogans used against our nation. I love our players & I love my country," he tweeted on X.