Gautam Gambhir had joined the BJP recently.
Highlights
- The argument was over Kashmir's special status through Articles 370, 35A
- Do the 2 rupee per tweet trolling somewhere else, Mehbooba Mufti said
- The two then went on to criticise the other on their own Twitter pages
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti blocked cricketer-turned-BJP politician Gautam Gambhir on Twitter on Tuesday, after the two indulged in a heated argument over the special status bestowed upon Kashmir through Articles 370 and 35A.
The altercation began after the Delhi High Court admitted a public interest litigation seeking a direction to the Election Commission for banning Jammu and Kashmir politicians Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti from the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"Why waste time in court? Wait for the BJP to scrap Article 370. It will automatically debar us from fighting elections since the Indian constitution won't be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir anymore," she tweeted in response, adding: "Na samjhogay tho mit jaoge, aye Hindustan walo. Tumhari dastaan tak bhi na hogi dastaano mein (O people of India, you will be erased if you do not understand. Even your tales won't be written in history)"
An incensed Gautam Gambhir responded by saying that this was India she was talking about, not a "blot like you that can be erased". Mehbooba Mufti took a while responding, and when she finally did, it was with the hope that Gautam Gambhir's political innings in the BJP wouldn't be as "abysmal" as his cricketing career.
The battle was all about personal jibes now, and the former cricketer's comeback was scathing. "U needed 10 hours to respond to my tweet and come up with such a pedestrian analogy!!! Too slow. It shows the lack of depth in ur personality. No wonder you guys have struggled to solve the issues at hand," he tweeted.
But the former Chief Minister had grown tired of their altercation already. "I worry for your mental health, am used to people trolling but this level of stalking is unhealthy. I'd imagine most people sleep at night," she tweeted. "Better (zip it) since you don't know anything about Kashmir. Here, blocking you now, so u can do the 2 rupee per tweet trolling somewhere else."
The two then went on to criticise the other on their own Twitter pages.
"Cricketers should stick to playing cricket. Why wade into politics especially when it comes to issues like Kashmir? They have no knowledge about it. Take your aggression to the field, and once you're done, hang your boots with grace. Disgraceful," Mehbooba Mufti tweeted.
Not to be outdone, the former cricketer expressed his gratitude in the most sarcastic terms. "Ma'am, happy to be blocked by a callous individual. By the way, at the time of writing this tweet there are 1,365,386,456 Indians. How will you block them?" he tweeted.
Incidentally, the cricketer-turned-politician had clashed with National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Twitter a few days ago, after the latter called for a separate Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister. While Gautam Gambhir recommended a "green Pakistani passport" for the former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah advised him to stick to stuff he knows.