Amid shocked protests against his tweet, Digvijaya Singh remained defiant
Highlights
- Digvijaya Singh said meme not his but he 'couldn't help posting it'
- Outrage and shocked protests on social media against the post
- 'His comments reflect the Congress' diseased mind': BJP
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has been severely criticised for tweeting a meme that attacks Prime Minister Narendra Modi with crude abuses. The Congressman prefaced his post by saying it is not his but he "couldn't help posting it."
"Digvijaya Singh's comments on Twitter reflect the Congress party's diseased mind. They have not only insulted the elected Prime Minister of this country, but also the people of India," said BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao.
"And they want PM to unfollow molesters & abusers. He should by blocking Arvind Kejriwal & Digvijaya Singh," tweeted columnist Tavleen Singh.
Amid outrage and shocked protests on social media against his post, Digvijaya Singh was defiant, tweeting, "When Modi ji & those he follows have used abusive language against Sonia ji Rajivji Indira ji Nehru ji Gandhi ji why they remained quiet?" He also said, "I have clearly said it (the meme) is not mine, I have disowned it."
Digvijaya Singh has been criticised on social media for his post
His party did not have much to add. "Digvijaya Singh has already spoken about it and clarified the issue. I think there is nothing further to add in the matter," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
Digvijaya Singh's trolling of PM Modi comes amid his party's attack on the Prime Minister and the BJP over vicious messages posted by some Twitter accounts against journalist Gauri Lankesh who was murdered at her Bengaluru home on Tuesday evening.
Social media raged that an account, Nikhil Dadhich (@nikhildadhich), which used cuss words in reference to Ms Lankesh, is followed by Prime Minister. "While we fight trolls, PM Modi ignites them," the Congress said.
PM does not block or unfollow anyone, a BJP statement said on Thursday
The BJP said in a statement yesterday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "
has never blocked or unfollowed anyone on Twitter." It said the Prime Minister's following someone is "not a character certificate" and does "not in any way a guarantee of how a person would conduct himself."
The BJP also pointed out that PM Modi has not unfollowed either Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal despite his abusive comments about him or Rahul Gandhi despite his being accused of a corruption scam.