Nitin Gadkari said people needed to be more "responsible" (File)
Nitin Gadkari today became the second union minister to come out in support of Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who has been trolled on Twitter for days over her ministry's help to an interfaith couple.
Sushma Swaraj has been targeted with offensive tweets for the help given to Tanvi Seth and Mohammad Anas Siddiqui, who complained to her about humiliation when they went for passport renewal. An officer allegedly harassed Tanvi Seth for not changing her name and also taunted her husband saying he should change his religion.
The couple has got the passport and the officer has been transferred. Sushma Swaraj, who was abroad when her ministry assisted the couple, continues to face attacks on social media.
Nitin Gadkari said people needed to be more "responsible".
"It is very unfortunate the way Sushma Swarajji was trolled and the kind of propaganda being spread against her," said the Transport Minister.
"She had no connection with it. She was not there at the time. People did not like the words used against her. I think everyone should act more responsibly on the social media. It is very unfortunate," he stressed.
Ms Swaraj, one of the most popular ministers on twitter because of her alacrity in responding to SOS, has handled the attacks with dignity and humour.
Last week, she posted a Twitter poll and asked her followers if they supported the trolling. Shockingly, 43 per cent said they supported it.
Mr Gadkari said: "The way the people are objecting to her is sad. She is also a senior politician. We must respect each other and must never indulge in any form of verbal abuse. People should also take responsibility over their comments on social media."
Yesterday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had called the trolling "absolutely wrong", in the first such reaction from the party's senior ranks.