Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavis were targeted on Twitter
Trouble began when Ms Fadnavis put out a tweet, promoting a Christmas event organised by an FM radio channel.
launched-Be Santa-campaign, as Ambassador for @927BIGFM - to collect gifts from people -for poor children ,to bring smiles to their faces during this Christmas.Drop ur gifts at nearest @927BIGFM & Feel the joy -as best way to multiply your happiness is by sharing it with others pic.twitter.com/r5UTAi3nDY
AMRUTA FADNAVIS (@fadnavis_amruta) December 12, 2017
Soon after the tweet was posted, the chief minister and his wife were attacked, with some asking if Amruta Fadnavis was a Hindu before marriage. A few others said this move by Ms Fadnavis might not fare well for the chief minister's career, while some asked her to do more for Hindu festivals.
Why santa? Cudnt u do same thing during Diwali?
Masala Chaas (@masala_chaas) December 12, 2017
Where were you on Diwali Ganesh Puja or when Chennai & Mumbai were flooded "Santa" feeling are exclusive to "Christmas"? this is an abuse of your position and status
No Conversion (@noconversion) December 12, 2017
The criticism got to a point where Ms Fadnavis had to put out a clarification in which the chief minister and his office was tagged as well.
Standing her ground, Ms Fadnavis in a follow up tweet, tagging the chief minister and his office, said, ""Love, sharing and empathy have no religion - let's accept all positivity around us and stay away from negative thoughts and demotivating energies."
She also tweeted:
I'm a proud Hindu & like many, I celebrate every festival in my country & that is an individual choice.... We represent the true spirit of our country ... and that doesn't dilute our love towards our country, religion & humanity ....
AMRUTA FADNAVIS (@fadnavis_amruta) December 12, 2017
This is not the first time a BJP leader has been challenged this harshly on Twitter.
Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan had to delete his tweet supporting Supreme Court's ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi and nearby areas. His tweets on a "Green Diwali" had apparently rattled a section on social media who called the ban anti-tradition.
Former BJP president and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was slammed for taking on trolls soon after the Amarnath terror attack in July earlier this year. When a comment on the Amarnath terror attack appeared to cross the line, Mr Singh had tweeted, "All Kashmiris are not terrorists". He also stressed that it was his job to ensure peace and tranquility in all parts of the country. This led to a barrage of tweets against the senior leader.
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