When he was on the field, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir was known for his particularly balanced style of play. But off the field, particularly on Twitter, Gambhir has been known for shooting from his mouth on political developments in the country.

For the past few months, speculation has been rife that the 37-year-old might contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Delhi on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket.

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One of the major reasons behind the speculations was Gambhir’s Twitter posts, in which, among other things, he has often criticised some non-BJP political parties.

Thus a section on Twitter was a bit surprised with a tweet he posted in response to the Christchurch terror attack which left 49 people dead after a right-wing, white extremist went on a killing spree in a mosque during Friday prayers.

Hours before he accepted the Padma Shri from President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday, Gambhir took to Twitter to share his thoughts. In his tweet, Gambhir pointed fingers at the “propaganda media” and also drew a link to India.

“A big part of d blame for Christchurch killings should rest with us & d “Propaganda” Media. We had conveniently branded Muslims as oppressive to gain applause from d majority of d Indian gallery on social media & get TV ratings. For me secularism is the best thing about democracy,” he wrote on Twitter earlier today.

A big part of d blame for Christchurch killings should rest with us & d “Propaganda” Media. We had conveniently branded Muslims as oppressive to gain applause from d majority of d Indian gallery on social media & get TV ratings. For me secularism is the best thing about democracy

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) March 16, 2019

It is noteworthy that the opponents of the BJP often blame some of its leaders of ignoring fringe groups which fan hatred for the Muslim community in India. One of the recent examples was the alleged harassment of Kashmiri students in some parts of the country following the Pulwama terror attack.

Anyway, Gambhir’s post soon drew a barrage of trolls to it.

Uper se gira pencil,
Tera ticket cancel 😂 pic.twitter.com/vFo9kYRpRZ

— IRONY MAN (@karanku100) March 16, 2019

BJP ticket gaya lagta hai

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 16, 2019

Bhai bhai bhai, ab ticket nahi milegi.

— Muhammad Usman عثمان (@musman109) March 16, 2019

Bjp might have refused ticket to now flirting with Congress

— Vivek Mishra (@VivekM33) March 16, 2019

Aise tweets karega to BJP ka ticket kaose milega bhai?

— Rajdharmi Naxal (@BlabberingSoul) March 16, 2019

Gautam aaj Gambhir ho gaya…

— Shanawaz Choudhary (@TheNawazBhai) March 16, 2019

How does the “Indian Gallery” even come in to picture for an incident that happened in NZ? This is exactly what is called Sicularism and not Secularism..

— Neeraj Gautam (@Neeraj2Gautam) March 16, 2019

Aur ye election time pe secular banane ki behatarin koshish.

— टिपरे (@AAbaSpeaks) March 16, 2019

But there were many who applauded his comment. One of them was Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan.

Appreciating Gauti , Well Said..

— Amanatullah Khan AAP (@KhanAmanatullah) March 16, 2019

Great sir , u r talking openly. I appreciate your courage ,’ this z need to our democracy’.

Secularism is the most relevant concept to survive the nation peacefully.

— mukesh kr (@mukeshdiplomate) March 16, 2019

Finally he woke up from the right side of the bed! It’s a Welcome step!🤗

— Tony Aranha (@tonyaranha) March 16, 2019

We need more people like u sir,

— Mustaq Khan (@MustaqK34828505) March 16, 2019

For once you spoke what’s right. Good keep the pace, people may have a change in heart.

— Alex (@ashalexblr) March 16, 2019

A 28-year-old Australian, identified as Brenton Tarrant, has been charged with murder in connection with the attack on the Masjid Al Noor. Another mosque was attacked in the vicinity.

Among the nine people of Indian origin who are missing since the Friday shootout, one has been identified as Farhaj Ahsan.

Ahsan, who belongs to Hyderabad, had gone to the Christchurch mosque to offer the Friday prayers when the gunman opened fire on the worshippers. Since then, his family has not heard from him. Ahsan’s father Mohammed Sayeeduddin has made an appeal to the government to help find him.

Ahmed Jahangir, also from Hyderabad, was injured in the attack. Jahangir’s brother Khurshid Jahangir has appealed to the government to expedite the visa process.