"Nobody has the right to call our country intolerant. We are secular people and don't believe in selective outrage," he said before he led hundreds of supporters from Janpath to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The irony was not missed.
Wrong. Unless Mr Kher supersedes the Constitution of India pic.twitter.com/l8Dp36eYYz
— IndiaExplained (@IndiaExplained) November 7, 2015
But the response to Kher's protest march was overwhelming – not just on the ground, as his supporters also took to Twitter to cheer him on, so much so that #MarchForIndia became a globally-trending hashtag and remained so all morning, helped no less by those who mocked the very premise of the march.
For supporters of the current government and Prime Minister, however, Twitter became a virtual space for celebration as they posted pictures from the march, urged people across India to show support for Kher in their own cities and declared that March for India was a "slap in the face" of all liberals daring to call India "intolerant".
Participated in #MarchForIndia pic.twitter.com/S6V4YTbCWY
— Ravi Ranjan रवि रंजन (@R8RaVi) November 7, 2015
ये आए हुए लोग है, लाए हुए नहीं! #MarchForIndia shows tht we dont need dummy intellectuals.We can speak fr oursleves pic.twitter.com/vzDUo1buAc
— Ashish Kedia (@kediashish) November 7, 2015
If a KP, victim of 1990s exodus, can lead #MarchForIndia in support of India's tolerance, then can anyone else really call India intolerant?
— Shivangi Muttoo (@shivangimuttoo) November 7, 2015
#MarchForIndia is a tight slap in the face of three kind of people in India: 1. #AdarshLiberals 2. #PseudoIntellectuals 3. #Sickulars
— Rajeev Damani (@DamaniRajeev) November 7, 2015
But it was not all one sided as there were many who also pointed out the problems with Kher's reasoning and made sure to register their dissent against the very premise of March for India:
Maybe it's a simple choice, #MarchForIndia or #GoToPak https://t.co/JcrjcLg5Hl
— sarvarta (@sarvarta) November 7, 2015
Let's hope #MarchForIndia shows #India has potential to be tolerant, including towards those who want to attend with their beef sandwiches
— Bindu Rai (@BinduRai) November 7, 2015
Dear Anupam Kher, Just because you are not at the receiving end of intolerance doesn't mean there is no intolerance. #MarchForIndia
— Whirling Dervesh (@WhirlingDervesh) November 7, 2015
So the acts of intolerance don't defame India it is the highlighting of said acts which does. Is this the message from today's march?
—Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) November 7, 2015
The world was looking at beef terror, pogroms, rapes & thinking India is intolerant. Thanks to the #MarchForIndia they know #IndiaIsTolerant
— Brumby گوشت خور (@brownbrumby) November 7, 2015
The tolerant march intolerantly to protest intolerance in a tolerant nation. Or is it the other way around? Oh duh! What did I miss here?
— Charles Assisi (@c_assisi) November 7, 2015
The LOL part of #MarchForIndia is tat its headed twrds Rashtrapati Bhawan whr d President is condemning intolerance in his last 3-4 speech's
— Funnily Serious (@notionalview) November 7, 2015
Lol, Anupam Kher is intolerant towards the intolerance towards intolerance. #intolereception
— culdivsac (@culdivsac) November 7, 2015
AnupamKher shud've carried posters of Tolerent leaders GirirajSingh,YogiAdityanath,SadhviPrachi,SangeetSom,Vijayvargiya in his #MarchForModi
— Gp Capt Christopher (@bcchristopher) November 7, 2015
Intolerance is not new in India, the way people are protesting against intolerance is new.
— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) November 7, 2015
There were also reports that pointed to some of the participants not being very tolerant:
Slogan heard at 'tolerance' March. Maaro saalon ko joote! Goes well with the idea of 'tolerance'?
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) November 7, 2015
Things got even uglier as female reporter with NDTV, Bhairavi Singh was heckled and abused.
First was called a prostitute, heckled, chased just for saying that the Indian creative world is divided on this issue @AnupamPkher
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
Shaken, scared by goons who didn't understand a word of what I said at the March @AnupamPkher
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
After being heckled, told your fault - you deserved it as you were reporting false things @AnupamPkher @imbhandarkar
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
Now of course being terrorised on Twitter as well... @AnupamPkher just for giving my point of view !
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
In spite of this incident, some supporters of the March for Unity seemed unapologetic.