Minister Alphons' All-Nighter At Kerala Relief Camp Becomes Troll Bait

Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam spent Tuesday night at a Kerala relief camp in flood-battered state - where lakhs have been forced to leave their inundated homes - and tweeted about it. He ended up being trolled for the well-intentioned gesture.

In a photo he posted on Facebook and Twitter, Alphons Kannanthanam, in a t-shirt and jeans, is seen lying down on a mattress on the ground.

"In Changanassery SB high school camp," said the post.

Within moments, Internet had a new hashtag: #Kannanthanamsleepchallenge. Several Twitter users posted their sleeping photos with hilarious captions.

The Tourism Minister later tweeted the picture with this caption: "most people didn't sleep, thinking of an uncertain tomorrow." The tweet tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and two union ministers Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan.

#KannanthanamSleepChallenge I am sleeping for hours now. pic.twitter.com/qUQiTIaBF6

— Alwin K Wilson (@Alwin86835527) August 22, 2018

.. !!
.
. ..!!!
.#KannanthanamSleepChallenge pic.twitter.com/5uCUF2ydf1

— Suku (@suku_keralite) August 22, 2018

Following @ChaluUnion 's #KannanthanamSleepChallenge and @shareej 's challenge tagging me . not tagging anyone else pic.twitter.com/jrzkQOqXfH

— Anivar Aravind (@anivar) August 22, 2018

Some posts uncharitably called Mr Alphons "show off" while one dubbed him "comic relief".
 

Dear @alphonstourism ! Being an educated civil servant turned politician with immense experience, we expect mature and responsible behaviour from you! Your sleeping photo op in the flood relief camp was equal to mocking the relief efforts of many! #KannanthanamSleepChallenge

— jeffshawn (@jeffshawn) August 21, 2018

A few days ago, a photo of the minister holding a baby during rescue operations was widely circulated.

Mr Alphons, who is from Kerala, has been touring the state extensively to assess damage caused by the worst floods in a century. 237 people have been killed since August 8 and over 14 lakh displaced after days of torrential rain earlier this month.

(Kerala has to rebuild itself after the worst floods in over a century. Hundreds have died and lakhs are homeless. Here is how you can help.)