Startup India? Govt of India's top projects "handled, propagated" on social media by rabid pro-Modi trolls

By A Representative
Has the Government of India put its key projects at the disposal of rabid, allegedly saffron social media trolls, known to use abusive language at the drop of a hat as and when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is criticized? It would seem so, if what happened over the last 24 hours on Twitter is any guide.
Troll literally meaning ugly cave-dwelling creature depicted as either a giant or a dwarf. Two of the trolls tweeted at two different places: “Indian army should be freed for one day to take care of pro-Pak #Presstitutes to make these #ProPakDovesSilent for eternity” and “Rakhi Sawant is more useful to this nation than Meera Sood”, tagging it to #ProPakDovesSilent.
The latter reference, apparently, is human rights advocate Mihira (not Meera) Sood, who, among many others, had signed a petition requesting the President of India to consider the mercy plea of terrorist Yakub Memon. She was present in a Times Now debate on Tuesday evening, where the hashtag #ProPakDovesSilent was floated.
So sooner the two tweet appeared, those responsible for propagating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top project, Startup Project on twitter, retweeted both the tweets, inviting the ire of well-known journalist Rohin Singh (‏@Rohinisgh_ET), senior editor, “Economic Times”, who said, “Shocking that government handle @startupindia is RTing trolls who are advocating violence against journalists!”
Among those who supported Singh was Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal, who, even as retweeting the shock expressed by another senior journalist Barkha Dutt of NDTV channel, said through Twitter, “All abuses and violence, whether online or offline, is emanating from topmost BJP leadership.”

Startup India deleted these retweets

Meanwhile, suspicion went wild that @startupindia is being handled by saffron brigade, using abusive language against anyone critical of Modi. Said @truthofgujarat, managed by Gujarat-based rights activist Pratik Sinha, Government of India @startupindia retweeting tweets asking for killing of journos… Bhakt forgot to change ID before retweeting.”
A popular site, janatakareporter.com, commented, “Modi has long been criticised for allegedly encouraging the nasty right-wing Twitter trolls by even following some of them on the microblogging site”, pointing towards how on Tuesday, in late hours, the government’s official Twitter handle @startupindia, retweeted “right-wing trolls.”
Calling Startup India a Modi brainchild, floated in January launched amidst much fanfare primarily to encourage entrepreneurship in the country, the site says, “The initiative is yet to deliver any tangible results, but it seems the official Twitter handle has been put to use to further the right-wing agenda of the ruling party.”
It adds, “Journalist Rohini Singh first posted the following tweet expressing her shock and horror on a central government’s official Twitter handle retweeting a political message posted by a troll.” In fact, @startupindia agreed with the comment which said that the Indian army should be “freed for one day” from “pro-Pakistani presstitutes”.
It continues, “#ProPakDovesSilent was the hashtag promoted by Times Now news channel while debating Kashmir unrest on Tuesday night. It was during this debate that a panelist had allegedly termed Indian army as rapist prompting right-wing users to post angry tweets.”
Finding things going out of hand, Startup India “corrected” its mistakes and removed the controversial tweets from its timeline. But the issue had already snowballed into a full-blown controversy, as social media users woke up to this development on Wednesday morning.

Comments

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor* A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas* Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.

Gender violence defies stringent laws: The need for robust social capital

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The tragic death of Miss Soumyashree Bisi, a 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan College, Balasore, who reportedly self-immolated due to harassment, shocked the conscience of Odisha. Even before the public could process this horrifying event, another harrowing case emerged—a 15-year-old girl from Balanga, Puri, was allegedly set ablaze by miscreants. These incidents are not isolated; they highlight a disturbing pattern of rising gender-based violence across the state and the country.

Search This Blog