Overview

• On July 31, Sabeer Bhatia tweeted that labeling critiques of women’s safety, economic figures and government transparency as “anti-national” equates truth-telling with disloyalty
• On August 2, Harsh Goenka slammed Bhatia for “lecturing a billion Indians” from California and said India doesn’t need “sermons from those who packed up and left”
• Bhatia replied by deriding critics for offering “sob stories” and lamenting that India has “lots of Chiefs and no Indians”
• The exchange highlights deepening tensions over the diaspora’s right to critique India’s social and economic challenges
• Social media reactions remain split, with some users praising domestic engagement and others supporting expatriate voices calling out systemic issues