Post a joke on petrol prices: Zubair mocks Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘trying hard for 50M followers’ post
New Delhi: Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan’s recent post on X about struggling to cross 49 million followers has once again reignited an ongoing debate over celebrity silence on rising fuel prices. The actor in a post on X said, "T 5347 - Trying really hard, but this 49M followers number just won’t go up. If anyone has a solution, do let me know !!!"
Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair replied sharply, "Sir, gather some courage and share a few jokes about petrol, diesel, and LPG prices. You’ll hit 50M in two days."
Zubair’s response quickly went viral, bringing back a recurring public discussion: why did celebrities who criticized fuel prices during the previous government go silent in recent years?
In 2012, when petrol prices rose under the UPA government, several top Bollywood stars, including Amitab Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, and Anupam Kher, publicly mocked the hikes. One of Bachchan’s most circulated tweets from that time read: "Ramchandra keh gaye Siya se, aisa kal yug aayega. Gaadi kharidoge cash se, aur petrol loan se aayega."
Another tweet joked about a man asking a petrol pump attendant to spray fuel on his car before burning it, because even that amount had become unaffordable.
Akshay Kumar had quipped: "Looks like it’s time to clean up the bicycle and hit the road again. Prices are rising again, as per sources."
Anupam Kher, too, had tweeted about his driver switching to a bicycle because petrol was too expensive, leaving his car as a "showpiece."
However, these same voices have remained notably silent as fuel prices surged under the current government—crossing ₹100 per litre in 2021 and remaining high since. This contrast hasn’t gone unnoticed by the public, with old tweets repeatedly resurfacing over the years and sparking fresh rounds of online criticism.
Sir Thodi Himmat karke Petrol, Diesel aur LPG pe jokes share kariye. 50M toh 2 din me ho jayenge.
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) April 15, 2025
एक बार पेट्रोल पे पोस्ट करदो
— Shekhar (@Shekharcoool5) April 13, 2025
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
1971, 2025 not same: Tharoor responds to Congress's Indira Gandhi campaign amid ceasefire with Pak
New Delhi: Amid the Congress party’s campaign spotlighting former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s leadership during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, senior party leader Shashi Tharoor emphasised that the current situation in 2025 cannot be equated with the circumstances of 1971.
Speaking to ANI following the recent ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, Tharoor said, “The truth is that the circumstances of 1971 are not the circumstances of 2025. There are differences.” While acknowledging Indira Gandhi’s achievements, he underlined that today’s geopolitical and military realities are vastly different.
“The 1971 victory was a great achievement and Indira Gandhiji rewrote the map of the subcontinent,” Tharoor said. However, he noted that unlike the moral cause of liberating Bangladesh, the recent conflict risked becoming a prolonged war with no clear objective. “Liberating Bangladesh is a clear objective. Just firing shells at Pakistan is not,” he added.
Tharoor stated that while teaching terrorists a lesson was necessary, extending the conflict further would have risked more Indian lives. “We have suffered a lot. Ask the people of Poonch how many have died. This was not a war we intended to continue,” he said, referring to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
He asserted that those responsible for the attack must be brought to justice, even if it takes months or years. “But that doesn't mean we should put the entire nation at risk in a prolonged war,” Tharoor warned, stressing the need for peace and national development.
Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, several Congress leaders shared images of Indira Gandhi, seen as a veiled criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of the situation. Responding to this, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia questioned the Congress's silence on former PM Manmohan Singh’s response to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Meanwhile, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the ceasefire, and raised concerns over US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s reference to a “neutral site,” suggesting possible third-party involvement in the Kashmir issue.
“Finally, the Indian National Congress believes it is but natural for the country to recall Indira Gandhi for her extraordinarily courageous and resolute leadership in 1971,” Ramesh stated.
#WATCH | Delhi | "1971 was a great achievement, Indira Gandhi rewrote the map of the subcontinent, but the circumstances were different. Bangladesh was fighting a moral cause, and liberating Bangladesh was a clear objective. Just keeping on firing shells at Pakistan is not a… pic.twitter.com/Tr3jWas9Ez
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2025
