Taniya Bhardwaj | The girl who questioned Mamata is now a social media star

The girl who questioned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is now a social media star. But interestingly, the debate has now shifted from Taniya Bhardwaj's stand on the conduct of senior state ministers and officials over crimes against women to her good looks.

On May 19, Mamata called Presidency University student Taniya a CPI(M) cadre and a Maoist for asking a question during an open house session with the Chief Minister. The show was conducted to mark one year of the Trinamool Congress's coming to power in West Bengal.

An angry Banerjee castigated the audience for asking 'Maoist questions' and stormed out, refusing to participate further. Taniya wrote an open letter to Mamata Banerjee.

Her letter, that opened with the words "Dear 'Simple Man'", soon went viral and was the top trend for over 24 hours. She was praised for her "braveness" and courage to face up to the wrath of the state head. But as her face was flashed across the television screens throughout the weekend, users on Twitter and Facebook latched on to another aspect of Taniya, tweeting tongue-in-cheek proposals of marriage and advising her to take up modelling.

Overnight Taniya was a star. The inevitable appeals were sent out to people to find her Twitter handle and link to her Facebook page and share it with those smitten by her looks.

'Sorry Ma'am' was trending throughout the weekend. Her open letter for the Telegraph newspaper that started with the phrase 'Sorry Ma'am, I am not a Maoist'. The jokes about Shah Rukh Khan's dialogue "My Name is Khan and I'm not a terrorist" from his blockbuster film My Name is Khan was part of the many retweets.

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