A Congress-backed online magazine has faced the brunt of severe criticism for a derogatory tweet seeking to poke fun at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being a tea seller in past. The humiliating tweet was made by an online magazine named ‘Yuva Desh’, which is run by the Indian Youth Congress. The tweet carried a photograph portraying a fictitious conversation between PM Modi, US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
PM Modi. The Indian Express
The photograph shows PM Modi conversing with US President Donald Trump, where the latter corrects Modi’s “meme” pronunciation, with May asking him to go and sell tea all over again.
The meme was deleted by ‘Yuva Desh’ after it attracted a lot of backlash and criticism. Twitter
It is to be noted that this is definitely not the first time that such an attempt of poking fun over chai has backfired the grand old party.
Not just commoners, this attempt at humiliating the Indian Prime Minister was also severely criticized by many ministers, with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani asking if Rahul Gandhi would support such a demeaning act.
This blatantly classist and anti-poor Tweet by the Youth Congress shows their mindset towards India’s poor. Does Crown Prince @OfficeOfRG support this? https://t.co/gOqRqWIfL4
— Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) November 21, 2017
And here’s what other ministers had to say about the tweet –
Congress has once again displayed its anti-poor mindset through such tweets. Upcoming elections will be another reality check for them. pic.twitter.com/Qxj2aGXxPM
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) November 21, 2017
Madam Sonia Gandhi & Mr Rahul Gandhi do u still believe that only u have a divine right to rule India? Country expects ur response on the tweet of the youth Congress, which is shameful & insulting to poor. U can delete the Tweet but ur thinking towards the poor stands exposed. pic.twitter.com/TKQho0lAiB
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) November 21, 2017
Shameful👎 The smug elitist Congress leaders always disdain ordinary Indians. Trust me, this egomania of one family superiority will prove as the final nail in the Congress coffin. pic.twitter.com/TSLd992Yvd
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) November 21, 2017
This post by Congress stinks of elitism…tea sellers are amongst the most hardworking honest citizens. People hv rejected your arrogance & put trust in PM @narendramodi. Tweet cn be deleted,not your mindset. pic.twitter.com/nPLdftAkrH
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) November 21, 2017
It was a deliberate attempt to defame Indian PM internationally and back at home
This deleted tweet screenshot shows congress attitude towards common people .
मोदी जी का इतिहास चाय बेचने का है …कांग्रेस की तरह देश बेचने का नहीं । pic.twitter.com/XfjKmLW3Wp— Giriraj Singh (@girirajsinghbjp) November 21, 2017
Such derogatory language for the PM of the country only goes to show the disrespect Congress has for India & its people. pic.twitter.com/rgGcDBVxwy
— Shahnawaz Hussain (@ShahnawazBJP) November 21, 2017
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, who does not favor BJP himself, also took to Twitter to condemn the distasteful tweet by ‘Yuva Desh’.
What is about elements of the Congress party that commit political suicide with such amazing regularity? This tweet is in such poor taste. https://t.co/swRy5l57WU
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 21, 2017
Meanwhile, ‘Yuva Desh’ deleted the tweet after facing such critical backlash from not only BJP but other parties as well. Despite the delete, they continue face the brunt of the commoners and politicians alike on various social media platforms.
On the other hand, Congress spokesperson Randeep S. Surjewala – in an attempt to mitigate the backlash from the other political parties to some extent – took to his official Twitter account to express his as well as INC’s disapproval to this shameful tweet.
INC strongly disapproves & rejects such humour through memes. Differences on policy and opinion aside, Congress culture imbibes respect for PM and all political opponents. https://t.co/RqLOugCHwh
— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) November 21, 2017
According to the Indian Youth Congress Chief, Amrinder Singh Raja Brar, the magazine is not a direct beneficiary of the Youth Congress but is a wing managed by the Youth Congress volunteers. He said:
The handle is not run by Indian Youth Congress but by volunteers, I still take this opportunity and apologize and strongly condemn that tweet.
It is to be noted that this condemning act comes right before the Gujarat Assembly Elections, and may have damaging effect on Congress’ run. While the intensity of damage can be visible only after the elections, you can share in your opinion with us regarding the tweet in the comments section below.
