VHP member tweets he cancelled cab because driver was ‘Muslim’, Ola says its platform ‘secular’

Cancelled @Olacabs Booking because Driver was Muslim. I don’t want to give my money to Jihadi People. pic.twitter.com/1IIf4LlTZL

— Abhishek Mishra (@Abhishek_Mshra) April 20, 2018

On Friday, Abhishek Mishra, who counts BJP Union ministers like Nirmala Sitharaman and Dharmendra Pradhan among his followers, and calls himself a Hindutva thinker, tweeted, “Cancelled @Olacabs Booking because Driver was Muslim. I don’t want to give my money to Jihadi People.” As the post went viral on social media and he came under attack, Mishra justified his act by saying Hindus and Hindu Gods were too defamed in the Kathua incident. “People starts attack on me. Can I have no right to choose ? If they can run a campaign against Hanuman ji poster on cab, defamed Hindus and Hindus god in Kathua incident then they must be prepared for reply,” he tweeted on Sunday.

People starts attack on me. Can I have no right to choose ? If they can run a campaign against Hanuman ji poster on cab, defamed Hindus and Hindus god in Kathua incident then they must be prepared for reply. https://t.co/GEWUVRvtwL

— Abhishek Mishra (@Abhishek_Mshra) April 22, 2018

Mishra’s tweet was condemned by a host of Twitter users, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and Delhi Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee. Taking a veiled dig at the BJP, Tharoor said such people should be ostracised rather than admired and “followed”. “I remember an India where people who thought this way would have been ostracized rather than admired &”followed”. We need to #BringIndiannessBack,” he tweeted.

I remember an India where people who thought this way would have been ostracized rather than admired &”followed”. We need to #BringIndiannessBack. https://t.co/410oU4JVuR

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 22, 2018

Sharmistha, daughter of former president Pranab Mukherjee, said Mishra’s tweet flagged what would happen if BJP came back to power in 2019. “This fellow, all smiles in pic with @narendramodi cancelling Ola cab just because the driver was a Muslim- it’s clear what will happen if BJP returns to power! Hail (Hell) BJP,” she tweeted.

BJP leader @Chandrabosebjp openly eulogising Hitler. This fellow, all smiles in pic with @narendramodi cancelling Ola cab just because the driver was a Muslim- it’s clear what will happen if BJP returns to power! Hail (Hell) BJP😡 https://t.co/sQz7bKvGR4

— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) April 22, 2018

However, Ola gave a dignified response saying: “Ola, like our country, is a secular platform, and we don’t discriminate our driver partners or customers basis their caste, religion, gender or creed. We urge all our customers and driver partners to treat each other with respect at all times.”

Ola, like our country, is a secular platform, and we don’t discriminate our driver partners or customers basis their caste, religion, gender or creed. We urge all our customers and driver partners to treat each other with respect at all times.

— Ola (@Olacabs) April 22, 2018