Nothing has been removed or added to my Twitter profile, Ghulam Nabi Azad said. (File)
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has lashed out at reports that he had changed his Twitter bio after being awarded the Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian honour, and called it "mischievous propaganda".
"Some mischievous propaganda is being circulated by some people to create confusion. Nothing has been removed or added to my Twitter profile. The profile is as it was earlier," Ghulam Nabi Azad tweeted on Tuesday.
Mr Azad is a leading member of the "G-23" in the Congress, which wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 calling for big reforms in the organisation and a "visible and full-time leadership". He has since been the target of Gandhi family loyalists in the party and has been accused of growing proximity to the ruling BJP.
After he was named for the Padma award, Mr Azad was shaded by his Congress colleague Jairam Ramesh, who drew a parallel with the CPM's Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and tweeted: "Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad not Ghulam."
Mr Ramesh has also tweeted a passage from a book about former bureaucrat PN Haskar's refusal of the award.
"In Jan 1973, the most powerful civil servant of our country was told he was being offered the Padma Vibhushan on his leaving the PMO (Prime Minister's Office). Here is PN Haksar's response to it. It is a classic, and worthy of emulation," his caption read.
Another Congress leader, Raj Babbar, congratulated Mr Azad and said that his "commitment to Gandhian ideals have always been an inspiration".
"Congratulations @ghulamnazad Sahab ! You're like an elder brother and your impeccable public life & commitment to Gandhian ideals have always been an inspiration. The #PadmaBhushan is an ideal recognition of 5 decades of your meticulous service to the nation," Mr Babbar tweeted.