Vinay Franklin

Calicut,Cochin
23rd June 1998
Liverpool FC

[Pinarayi Vijayan @pinarayivijayan]

Imagine being so scared of the opposition that you make the Delhi Police detain elected reps and drive them around in circles for an hour just to keep them quiet.

Modi’s panic is really showing here, and honestly, it’s just embarrassing at this point. Such high-handed tactics are a blatant attack on our democratic rights, but we will not be intimidated.

#jantarmantar

[Pinarayi Vijayan @pinarayivijayan]

When those in power fear the voice of the people, democracy itself is under attack. The Modi government and the Sangh Parivar must understand that repression can never extinguish the people’s resolve to defend their rights.

Thousands have gathered to defend the Constitution and the right to vote, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Barricades may block the streets, but they cannot halt the march of democracy. No force can silence the people determined to defend their democratic rights.

[svs 🇮🇳 @_svs_]

Guilty.

Innocent people don’t behave like this. The ECI hasn’t even had a press conference since the IE report.

They are guilty and have no defence. They would rather lockdown the country than answer questions.

No way India can accept this ECI any more.

[We Dravidians-Voice of Early Indians @WeDravidians]

Prakash Raj was a pan-India film star who lived the life a cinema guy typically does — happily, as a star.

Then, one odd day, everything changed.

The murder of his close friend Gauri Lankesh by a Hindutva goon.

Not just Prakash Raj— the whole country was shocked.

His life turned upside down.

He changed his life.
He dared to stand against the fascists.
He started fighting. He fought alone. He fought long.. nearly 10 years!

To this day, he stands for justice in his friend’s murder.

With patience and consistency, he built a force called Gen Z — Abhijit, Neha, Dhruv.

What a combo.

He could bring this force against the strong fascists in his own land — Bengaluru, where Gauri Lankesh lived, and where she gave her life for this country as a victim of Hindutva terrorism.

It is historical. A remarkable achievement by Prakash Raj.

He is very close to his goal.
Soon, he will bring down the religious fanatics who killed his friend.

Judgement Day is loading.

Hats off. You are a true inspiration, @prakashraaj Sir.

This is not just a fight against tyranny.
It is a story of friendship — and of a loyal friend.

#PrakashRaj #GauriLankesh #JusticeForGauri #Bengaluru

[Sean @shornKOOMINS]

In the days and weeks after the Jota tragedy I (and plenty of others) said I'd basically forgive them anything in the coming season, and I have not done that. Probably worth reflecting on.

[alani @stargirllani]

guehi’s homophobia is sabotaging our backline. we need the homosexual togetherness that arsenal’s back four has. that’s when we start the title charge.

[Snehil Saluja @mrsnhl]

A 1 crore earning techie's life has no value in Bengaluru.

And if you're not earning that much? Your life has even less.

My sister and her friend were driving home in my car. They stopped at a red light - the logical thing anyone does. A drunk driver in a mini-truck didn't feel the need to stop. He slammed into them instead.

I know he was drunk. She knows it. The highway police knows it. The truck owner knows it.

No arrest was made.

The truck driver never showed up at the station. The owner never showed up. Nobody cared. My sister and her friend - both injured, both terrified - kept going back to the station, back to the accident site, explaining what happened over and over, just trying to get a report filed.

I was in the US. All I could do was talk to them on calls, helpless.

Here's what the police told them:
"If nobody died, an FIR doesn't make sense."
"Just claim first party insurance."
"Third party insurance doesn't pay much anyway."

And then, quietly, one officer pulled them aside and told the truth: "These truck mafia bribe us. Nothing will happen."

Nothing happened.

The truck was KA04 AE6550. The police themselves said if they'd been on a two-wheeler, both would be dead.

We had 100% insurance from Reliance. Claim rejected. Reason? "Misrepresentation of facts." These two, even while injured, kept showing up to represent the facts. Reliance still found a way to deny them.

The law says if someone hits you from behind, the person behind is at fault. It was a red light. How does a truck driver not see that?

Trust me, this isn't about money. I'll manage the repairs and the medical bills. I have savings. And I have a decent credit score; I'll take a personal loan if I have to. That's not the point.

The point is this: my sister is afraid now. Afraid that anything can happen to her at any moment and there's no one - no system, no law, no institution - that will protect her.

But how do I tell her the world is supposed to be fair? How do I tell her to trust the system? How do I explain that the drunk driver walks free, the truck owner was never questioned, and the police pocketed their bribe and closed the file?

I can't say to any official, "What if this was your daughter? Your sister?" Because their daughters travel in cars with security escorts. They will never know what it feels like to be ordinary and unprotected.

So I'm saying it to you, an ordinary reader.

You're on the road. You stop at a red light. A drunk driver in a truck rear-ends your car. Your loved one is inside, terrified.

And then you learn: there is no recourse. None.

The truck owner pays off the cops. The insurance company rejects your claim. The system shrugs.

This is Bengaluru in 2025. This is India in 2025. This is what your life is worth here.

One more thing. The friend in the car? He's one of the smartest people I know. close to top 100 rank in IIT-JEE. AI engineer and one of the biggest data companies. At 23, he is valuable to be paid more annually than the cost of five such trucks, that too, in India. He's patriotic. He pays his taxes. He stays in India even though he constantly gets offers to move to the US.

This is the confidence our system gives to someone who is clearly an asset to this country. All this unfairness - for a drunk truck driver.

@blrcitytraffic @BlrCityPolice - tell me. I've always avoided raising fingers publicly. But what else can I do?

[Polymarket @Polymarket]

BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani to require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals.

[R² @SocialismPilled]

@ArynneWexler Brave of you to get up there and bomb even when there were no children there.

[Eddie Gibbs @eddiegibbs]

⚽️ Stop Pretending the Ballon d’Or Means Anything

🇪🇬👑 Salah Plays Football, They Play Politics

The #BallonDor has never stood for the best in football. It didn’t when they gave it to Michael Owen in 2001, the only #LFC player to ever win it, and lost the plot entirely during the Messi-Ronaldo era. It’s not an award for footballers. It’s an industry handshake dressed up as prestige.

Mohamed Salah was right not to show up. What does he owe them? He gave the game 57 goal contributions in a title-winning season. Broke records in the most unforgiving league on the planet. Scored or assisted in more than half of Liverpool’s goals. He’s the reason the Reds won the #PremierLeague so convincingly.

And they gave him fourth.

Above him? A teenager who managed fewer goal contributions across an entire season than #Salah had in December alone. Seven goals and five assists in a single month, more than Lamine Yamal's full campaign. The numbers are embarrassing, and not for Salah.

He did it in the Premier League, where even the bottom clubs punch back. Not Ligue 1, not La Liga, where space comes cheaper and top-team goals flow. Salah never hid. Never coasted. He’s carried his side for years, set the standards, and still gets treated like a sideshow.

It’s not a surprise. This is the same award that snubbed Thierry Henry in his prime and has never once put Salah in the top three. It is not built to honour players like him. It’s built to sell a story.

Salah didn’t lose anything by staying away. The Ballon d’Or lost the chance to be taken seriously. Again.

[konakona @kanakonasoman]

oh I'm gonna cherish this city downfall.

[Mohamed Salah @MoSalah]

Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?

[TheLiverDoc™ @theliverdoc]

In a world of darkness, here is some light.

[ESPN India @ESPNIndia]

A year of protest against the federation chief.
Slept on pavements for 40 days.
Was beaten, dragged by the police.
Nearly immersed all her medals in the Ganga.
Underwent knee surgery.
Sealed her Olympic spot after an unforgiving qualification process.
Became the 1st Indian woman wrestler to qualify for three successive Olympics.

And now, she's beaten the unbeatable defending champ, won two more bouts to become the first Indian woman to reach a wrestling Olympic final.

Words fail to appreciate what Vinesh Phogat has just done.

https://t.co/ItdNkkWO1w | #Paris2024

[Out of Context Football Manager @nocontextfm1]

My Twitter feed since Elon Musk took over

[Tia Kinay @TiaKinay]

Bravo, Bravo, Chile.

[Vinay Franklin @vinay_franklin]

@Kloppholic Looks like trevor

[Vinay Franklin @vinay_franklin]

@nothingindias #NothingPhone2

[Vinay Franklin @vinay_franklin]

@LahaneVedant Interested, can you dm me yours is closed