SRINAGAR: Facing backlash on his vegetarian Wazwan, Bollywood filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri Friday tried his hand at spin-doctoring by alleging the people who trolled him on social media don’t want people to “stay together.”
“With deep pain, I am deleting this tweet because ever since I posted it, my local guests have come under intense threat, abuse & trolling from evil minds. I had learnt that people who eat together stay together but some people don’t want anyone to stay together. May God bless all,” Agnihotri tweeted after facing criticism from locals who called him out stating that Wazwan is a traditional non-vegetarian dish which cannot be prepared with vegetables.
Agnihotri, who is in Srinagar, had earlier tweeted, “Nobody knows how to make a vegetarian Wazwan in Kashmir. But I am here to bring about change.”
Following this tweet, he was criticized by Kashmiris across the board with Radio Jockey Vijdan Saleem making a satirical video on his vegetarian Wazwan claim.
Journalist Naseer Ganai while criticizing Agnihotri’s tweet wrote, “Biggest insult hurled to Wazwan ever. If Goshtaba (Wazwan dish) will hear it, he will commit suicide in Aab-Ghosh (another Wazwan dish).”
Another prominent journalist and Kashmir Press Club President Shuja-ul-Haq termed the vegetarian Wazwan as the new “Raantus” (mythical Kashmiri ghost creature), who has been in the news since last week when a video had gone viral on social media about the presence of the mythical character in south Kashmir.
“Sabz wazwan chav nav raantas (Green Wazwan is the new Raantus).”
He also tweeted, “There is nothing called vegetarian wazwan,” to which Agnihotri tweeted, “There is nothing called honest journalism.”
Congress leader Salman Nizami tweeted, “Kashmiri Wazwan has always included veggies — Paneer, Nadroo, Palak, Apricot, Haakh and many more. What it doesn’t include is Momos. Like the same way Kashmir doesn’t need imported Momos Dumpling like you!.”
Reacting to this tweet Agnihotri tried giving it a political turn by bringing in the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“Imported momos? Does @RahulGandhi teach them such racist slurs?” he tweeted.
In damage control mode, he alleged that the Kashmiris, who were in the photograph with him in the controversial tweet, “I don’t want anyone’s life threatened or made miserable just because of one tweet. I hope you understand.”
