India / We are intolerant and hypocritical: Kapil Sibal backs Vir Das over 'Two Indias' video

New Delhi: Former union minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal took to Twitter to support comedian Vir Das who has been criticised after a video clip of his monologue “I come from two Indias” went viral.

“Vir Das. None can doubt that there are two India’s. Just that we don’t want an Indian to tell the world about it. We are intolerant and hypocritical,” wrote Sibal.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor too backed Das, commending him for “speaking for millions”.

“A stand-up comedian who knows the real meaning of the term “stand up” is not physical but moral. @thevirdas spoke for millions in this 6-minute take on the Two Indias he hails from & stands up for,” wrote Tharoor on Twitter.

The video clip in question was uploaded by Das on his YouTube channel and was a part of his show at John F Kennedy Centre in Washington DC. In the seven-minute clip which has amassed over 7 lakh views so far, Das speaks on the duality of the country, touching upon topics like the response to Covid-19, air pollution, farmers’ agitation, cricket and incidents of rape.

Quotes from the monologue — including those like “I come from an India where we bleed blue every time we play green, but every time we lose to green, we turn orange” and “I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gang-rape them during the night” — have evoked mixed, strong responses.

A complaint has also been filed against Das at Tilak Marg Police Station in Delhi, and the comedian has been accused of using derogatory language against the nation.

Das, meanwhile, took to Twitter to state that the video is a satire on the “good and evil” within the country.

“The video appeals for us to never forget that we are great. To never stop focussing on what makes us great. It ends in a gigantic patriotic round of applause for a country we all love, believe in, and are proud of. That there is more to our country than the headlines, a deep beauty. That’s the point of the video and the reason for the applause,” Das said in his statement.

“Please do not be fooled by edited snippets. People cheer for India with hope, not hate. People clap for India with respect, not malice. You cannot sell tickets, earn applause, or represent a great people with negativity, only with pride. I take pride in my country, and I carry that pride across the world,” he wrote.