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12 Times Twitter Gave Chetan Bhagat Major Burns

Troll magnet.
SAMANTHA SIN via Getty Images

Bestselling author Chetan Bhagat likes to stir things up on social media from time to time. Over the years, he's become a punching bag for Twitter users who are quick to react every time he posts something controversial or downright stupid.

On his part, Bhagat doesn't refrain from commenting on live issues, giving trolls ample opportunities to direct their fire his way over his bait-y tweets.

Here are some notable instances when the author was sent back to the pavilion.

1. Bhagat's tweet came promptly after the Indian men's cricket team beat Pakistan by six wickets where he blamed the partition for Pakistan's loss.

See Pakistan if your forefathers hadn't insisted on partition, you wouldn't have to see this day. Good Night Pak. Happens. Sorry. #IndvsPak.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 19, 2016

He was asking for it.

.@chetan_bhagat If our forefathers hadn't asked for partition we would've had to live in a country with you. Which is unacceptable. Thanks.

— Nuzhat S. Siddiqi (@guldaar) March 19, 2016

@chetan_bhagat Whenever I get writer's block, I remind myself that someone with that IQ managed to become a bestseller. Keeps me going.

— Kamraan. (@heavymetalkop) March 19, 2016

2. When British journalist Piers Morgan mocked India's Olympics medal tally and Bhagat tried to "troll" Morgan but fell to his banter.

@chetan_bhagat
@chetan_bhagat

4. When he tried to crack a joke on writers returning their Sahitya Akademi awards in protest against the Dadri lynching and got a cheeky reply.

@chetan_bhagat

When your joke backfires...

Dear concerned trolls.My desire for Sahitya academy award is just about as much as the number of Sahitya award winning books u have read.0.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 12, 2015

Accepting a reward and then returning it for demeans the award and the jury. It's posturing. It's politics.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 12, 2015

5. He criticized the odd-even vehicle scheme and the response to his tweet were retweeted by the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

So odd-even rule doesn't apply to women only cars, for safety. Because men, you know, can never be robbed, attacked, feel unsafe or killed.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) December 10, 2015

@chetan_bhagat

He wasn't happy.

6. Old juvenile tweet by Bhagat that resurfaced as his new novel, One Indian Girl, hit the shelves.

I now pronounce myself the thinking Indian woman's lust object. Those with IQ<80, plenty of sixpacks floating around. Go stare.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) February 27, 2010

He was asking for it, again.

First, take a minute to vomit. Then read this. Then vomit again. https://t.co/fPV4nW6yF2

— Veena Venugopal (@veenavenugopal) October 4, 2016

7. Speaking of Bhagat, how can you miss this evergreen gem of a tweet?

What do historians do? I am genuinely curious. This happened. Then this happened. Then this. Ok work done for the day.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 30, 2015

"Aa bail mujhe maar" kinda scenes, amirite?

@chetan_bhagat please return your IIT degree.

— Biswa Kalyan Rath (@kalyanrath) October 30, 2015

@chetan_bhagat What do authors do? I am genuinely curious. Judge one talent show, then judge one dance show. Ok work done for the day.

— Akshar (@AksharPathak) October 30, 2015

.@chetan_bhagat what do IIT-IIM grads. do? I'm curious. Write tharki love stories. Then, judge Nach Baliye. Ok work done for the day.

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) October 30, 2015

8. When Bhagat penned a column -- Anatomy of an Internet trollwhere he called Indian Modi 'Bhakts' on Twitter as "sexually frustrated" single men.

"They are generally not good at talking to women. As a result, they are unlikely to know how to behave with them or woo them. They do desire women, but can't get them. In other words, if i may say so, they are sexually frustrated with no way of getting it," he wrote.

Bhagat's article gave birth to "sexually frustrated" term that is often used to troll the author.

Sir @chetan_bhagat I agree with your TOI blog. Bhakts r sexually frustrated and insecure. You r a living example.

🙏🙏

— Prerna (@Iam_Prerna) January 22, 2016

If Chetan Bhagat has a problem with sexually frustrated people with weak communication skills in English, who will read his books then?

— dorku (@Dorkstar) July 11, 2015

9. His spat with Twinkle Khanna a.k.a @mrsfunnybones.

Known for her witty tweets, Twinkle Khanna was complimented on her writing skills by a reader who said, "You are an amazing writer, you don't need to change your name to Chetali Bhagat."

"I do! He gets to judge Nach Baliye and I get to judge if that gross thing on my floor is dog puke or poop #SuchIsLife," she responded.

@mrsfunnybones

Chetan, who was one of the judges on the dance reality show "Nach Baliye 7" responded with this.

@chetan_bhagat

To which Khanna had an interesting reply.

And he taunts her acting skills.

Khanna shut him down with a witty response.

10. When Bhagat made an announcement about his next novel, One India Girl, back in January.

With God's blessings and your support, my new fiction novel, writing for the first time in female first person, will release Diwali 2016.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 15, 2016

He added.

Not revealing title or other details for new book. Please wait until Diwali 2016. Just really excited and nervous to write in female voice.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 15, 2016

And the troll army soon took over.

.@chetan_bhagat Please :( pic.twitter.com/OvpkXz5SSg

— Rofl Gandhi Page 57 (@RoflGandhi_) January 15, 2016

.@chetan_bhagat Bhai. Please. Don't. Please. 😢😢 pic.twitter.com/1xVGR6YY7b

— 3D Arnab (@3DArnab) January 15, 2016

was stoked that india's best selling author is writing a female protagonist

then remembered india's best selling author is chetan bhagat

— Rega Jha (@RegaJha) January 15, 2016

11. When the author asked fans to send him photos of his new book.

On Monday, Bhagat tweeted a photo of his just released novel, One Indian Girl, and asked the junta to show off their phone camera skills which naturally backfired as people started photoshopping his book's cover pretty much everywhere.

He posted this.

#OneIndianGirl in Mykonos, Greece. Send me pics of the book in a beautiful backdrop. Will RT best ones. Let's see your phone camera skills! pic.twitter.com/nGAF9QiFd0

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 10, 2016

And what followed next was pretty much inevitable knowing that he has a special place in the heart of Twitter trolls.

.@chetan_bhagat Take a look sir, your book in the most beautiful backdrop. Please RT. pic.twitter.com/ZiXSuFs1tm

— Rofl Gandhi Page 57 (@RoflGandhi_) October 10, 2016

@RoflGandhi_@chetan_bhagat A book in need is book indeed! pic.twitter.com/e1ojYsZIbq

— Pankaj Mishra (@pankajmishra23) October 10, 2016

.@chetan_bhagat No backdrop can be more beautiful for your book than this sir. pic.twitter.com/PgGNclrYGP

— Smoking Skills (@SmokingSkills_) October 10, 2016

12. When the author believed the odd-even car formula implemented by the AAP government in Delhi would "destroy" productivity. (It was put in place to deal with the alarming increase in pollution in the capital.)

At a time when we need economic growth and jobs, somebody decides to get half the vehicles off the roads and destroy productivity. Nice.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) December 5, 2015

To which the AAP member Kumar Vishvas responded:

"Come dance, judge!"

@DrKumarVishwas

And others followed suit soon.

. @chetan_bhagat agree , Office to hum log aise bhi jaa sakte hain Pollution kam krke Economic growth kyun roke. pic.twitter.com/Et78d18jBb

— Tempest (@ColdCigar) December 5, 2015

@chetan_bhagat Tera logic sunnke, Sambit patra bhi aesa muh bana raha hai pic.twitter.com/qMtKY2P9JP

— Kirti (@Ghani_Bawri) December 5, 2015

Even though he's the "most loved" author of this generation, the following tweet pretty much "unites" Twitter folks.

no matter how much our opinions differ, we're all always on "shut up chetan bhagat" side. group hug, twitter

— Nishtha Kanal (@RootKanal) March 19, 2016

Going by the nature of social media, the list could expand in the coming days for all you know. Till then...

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.