Bollywood
The singer had deleted his Twitter account on Wednesday morning
Updated : May 24, 2017, 07:56 PM IST
Singer Sonu Nigam, who found himself in the eye of a Twitter storm last month for his comments on azaan, the Islamic call to prayer, today announced his intention to quit the microblogging site in a series of 24 tweets.
"I bid adieu to Twitter and my close to 7 Million followers today, leaving most Disappointed and angry at me, and some Sadists Happy," he tweeted at 10.13 am today, the first of a volley of tweets that lasted over half an hour.
Following his 24-tweet statement, the account was deleted, but the singer continued trending for the rest of the day.
Here were some of the reactions
We understand the frustration and hopelessness that You feel.. bhai I can only urge and request you to stay and spread the Love @sonunigam
— Shaan (@singer_shaan) May 24, 2017
Sonu Nigam quitting Twitter will hv as much effect on the world as cows crossing a road. Yet media will trip over it like it's life changing
— Ashok Lalla (@ashoklalla) May 24, 2017
I can understand pain of Sonu Nigam personally.Many here in Real and Virtual medium facing hatred of all section.Not ideal condition
— Narendra nath mishra (@iamnarendranath) May 24, 2017
@sonunigam Dear Sonu Nigam, with 6.46m followers u cld do a lot with spreading positive messages. The world needs it. Quitting is not the best option.
— Unquiet (@Dylanandaji) May 24, 2017
Sonu Nigam gave 24 reasons to quit twitter and made the job easy for Buzzfeed and others.
— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) May 24, 2017
Sonu Nigam wrote 24 tweets to explain why he is leaving twitter. He is not good twipple, 140 characters are enough. He should leave ASAP.
— Swapnil Suryawanshi (@swapnil_bs) May 24, 2017
Nigam also warned his followers and the media to take screenshots of his tweets as he intended to delete his account soon.
"I have come to understand that You can wake up someone who's sleeping, but can not wake up one who's pretending to sleep when he's awake. Media, is divided. Some Nationalists, some just Cold blooded Pseudos not ready to learn from our History of Traitors. Hv (Have) seen Love Pouring in from Most Quarters 4 (for) my Balanced approach; & unreasonable, illogical, ruthless, Profanities being hurled frm (from) other," said the singer.
Defending Abhijeet's comments on JNU student-activist Shehla Rashid, Nigam said, "One Could disagree wth Abhijeetda's language but isn't Shehla's accusation that BJP has a Sex Racket, Provocation enough to Supporters? "If his account is deleted, why not Her? And the other Morons who hurl Mother Sister abuses to every Achiever?" "Where's the Balance? How is it all so one sided? Why is everyone so Angry here on Twitter? Why can't there be a Sensible discussion?"
The singer also supported BJP MP-actor Paresh Rawal, who kicked up a row with his remark that author Arundhati Roy should be tied to an Army jeep instead of a stone pelter, a reference to an incident in Kashmir where an officer used a protester as a "human shield".
"A woman can endorse a picture of Gautam Gambhir in the front of the Army Jeep, & Paresh Rawal, Criticized for doing the same to someone else.
"Accepted Arundhati has the right to her opinion about Kashmir, but then the other billion Indians have the right to feel Let Down too right?"
Nigam, who saw the fallout of his azaan tweets rage on for days, even becoming a political issue, tweeted, "People blessing you on one hand; and some wishing Death upon you." Dwelling at length on what he said exposes the hypocrisy of Indian society, he said people had stopped being humans.
He appealed for people to have sensible discussions.
Twitter was a "game changer", he said, but had been reduced to "Porn, shown in Theatres."
Obviously hurt over being called anti-Muslim after his azaan comments, Nigam said he had no religion and followed a religion of his own choosing.
"I don't belong to a place whr(where) sm (some) Pseudo Intellectuals actually turn a Blind Eye to d Unprecedented slap I gave 2 d Fatva proclaimers on me," he tweeted.
"I am no Right Wing, No Left Wing. I respect everyone's Opinion but I guess Here, you have to Belong Somewhere. I hope I never need to return here to Clarify, but I never say Never! At this point, my Pious life, needs to Declutter." On a lighter note, Nigam also told his followers who were planning to get married to scan their to-be-partners profiles on Twitter to get a handle on their psyche.
"People getting married? You can actually know the entire Psychology & Class of a Partner by just going through his Twitter Time line," Nigam said, before signing off.