Congress mocks PM Narendra Modi with shots of his hugs with various world leaders
Highlights
- Congress' official Twitter handle posted video mocking PM Modi yesterday
- BJP responded saying Congress has lost its "sense and balance"
- The video had snapshots of PM Modi and his hugs with various world leader
The BJP has condemned a video tweeted by the official handle of the Congress that mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi with shots of his hugs with various world leaders. The Congress has lost its "sense and balance" and is at its "lowest ebb", said senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar.
The video was posted minutes after PM Modi received his "friend" and Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on a six-day visit to India. Breaking protocol, the Prime Minister had gone to the airport to receive Mr Netanyahu and welcomed him with a hug and a handshake. The two leaders had developed a warm rapport during PM Modi's visit to Israel last year - the first by an Indian prime minister in decades.
"The Congress has no real issue to talk on and, therefore, it has resorted to such shallow tricks. They have had their dirty tricks department which is now coming forward on social media," Mr Javadekar was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.
Slamming the video as evidence of "bad taste" and "a lack of maturity", Mr Javadekar said the party seems to have lost its sense at PM Modi's rise in popularity. A survey today found him at number 3 in popularity as a world leader, he said, adding, "We condemn it (the Congress tweet) and I hope that wisdom will prevail someday".
The Congress tweet comes despite its chief Rahul Gandhi's frequent exhortation to the party to respect the office of the Prime Minister. Ahead of the recent assembly elections in Gujarat, the 47-year-old had taken tough action against senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for his "
neech" slur regarding the Prime Minister. The veteran leader was suspended from the party after the controversy broke out.
"I do not appreciate the tone and language used by Mr Mani Shankar Aiyer to address the PM. Both the Congress and I expect him to apologise for what he said,"Mr Gandhi had tweeted.
The month before, Mr Gandhi, however, had poked fun at the Prime Minister on what he had called "hugplomacy".
In November, after a media report said the US Congress had approved a bill delinking America's military aid to Pakistan and Islamabad's crackdown on the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Mr Gandhi had responded with a sharp tweet. Days before, Pakistan had released terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed from his house arrest.
"
Narendrabhai, baat nahi bani (it did not work). Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding LeT. Hugplomacy fail. More hugs need," Mr Gandhi had tweeted, sharing a link to the news report.
The jibe was at PM Modi's bonhomie with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders were seen hugging each other more than once during PM Modi's last visit to the US in June last year.
(with inputs from IANS)