Two sentences that would mean nothing to your grandparents: Monicka Vadera is actually dating Tehseen Poonawala. But he might have fake tweeted angry posts about the relationship to get publicity.
Still not sure what that means?
On Friday, a report in the New Indian Express claimed that “socialist” and Tehseen Poonawala, who frequently appears on TV news shows to represent the Congress party’s view, had faked reports of his relationship with Monicka Vadera, cousin of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The story, based on statements by Poonawala’s publicist, claimed that he had posted fake tweets to ensure the story would be spread that he was dating Vadera. The idea was to turn the relationship with someone connected to the Congress into headlines.
According to Prafful Sarda, the publicist who has now filed suit claiming Poonawala has not paid his dues in full, the tweets were posted from various accounts and attempted to turn the relationship into a matter of controversy.
“@tehseenp is paid by #Pakistan to do #LoveJihad in India ‒ that is why he want to marry Vadra sister” was one of the alleged tweets. In another, he called himself, “son-in-law of the son-in-law of the Congress”.
Sarda has filed a complaint with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, claiming Poonawala cheated him out of money that he was owed and forced him to post the fake tweets. On his part, according to the newspaper report, Poonawala, has filed a criminal case against Sarda.
But on Friday morning, Monicka Vadera, the woman involved in the story, has tweeted calling the newspaper’s report a “gr8 fiction.”
The New Year started with gr8 “Fiction” A newspaper alleges that @tehseenp & I aren’t in a relationship.The things ppl do for circulation!!
— Monicka Vadera (@mvadera) January 2, 2015
So, just to clear that up for you (and your grandparents), a woman is claiming that a newspaper report which said that a man was paying someone to post angry tweets about a fake relationship for publicity is itself fictional and has only been printed to increase circulation. Got that? She later tweeted a photo of the couple.
Happy New Year to everyone on #Twitter from @tehseenp
@mvadera & our Families! pic.twitter.com/58oI81tXFl
— Monicka Vadera (@mvadera) January 2, 2015
Poonawala has himself also called the story rubbish, and made fun of the piece for calling him a “socialist” (when it presumably meant to say “socialite”).
If for nothing else atleast can I sue the reporter for calling me a ‘socialist’! Yeh aisa kaisa socialist hoon main!
— Tehseen Poonawalla (@tehseenp) January 2, 2015
U still can @NitinKapoor2020 - @mvadera and I are absolutely together :) cheers @TheHinduPhantom
@mediacrooks
— Tehseen Poonawalla (@tehseenp) January 2, 2015
While both have rubbished the claims of a faked relationship, neither have addressed the allegations from Sarda that he posted fake tweets from anonymous accounts simply to drum up publicity. Sarda claimed he stopped doing so when he realised there were references that could cause communal problems, although all this actually only emerged when Poonawala failed to pay him. Either ways, the complaints have now been made to the authorities, and the matter will most likely end up in court.