A meme on official Twitter handle of the Indian Youth Congress online magazine 'Yuva Desh' targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi was dubbed "deplorable" by the BJP on Tuesday, with the Congress youth wing later apologising for it.
The meme also draw disapproval from the Congress, BJP's Union Ministers and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.
Though the IYC chief Amarinder Singh Raja apologised, he maintained the Twitter handle was handled by volunteers and not by the youth body as such.
The meme -- in which British Prime Minister Theresa May was portrayed as asking Modi to "go sell tea" -- was deleted after it was reported by the media.
"Although the handle @Yuvadesh is run by youth volunteers and not by @iyc , we do not approve of such humour and apologise. Despite political differences with the BJP and having suffered everyday abuse from their leaders, we respect the Prime Minister and all political opponents," Raja tweeted.
"The INC (Indian National Congress) strongly disapproves and rejects such humour through memes. Differences on policy and opinion aside, the Congress culture imbibes respect for PM and all political opponents," Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi over the controversial tweet and said "the party's thinking towards the poor stood exposed".
"Madam Sonia Gandhi and Mr Rahul Gandhi do you still believe that only you have a divine right to rule India? The country expects your response on the Youth Congress tweet, which is shameful and insulting to the poor. You can delete the tweet but your thinking towards the poor stands exposed," Prasad said in a seried of tweets.
BJP leader and Union Minister Babul Supriyo told a news channel that the tweet was in "poor taste".
"The Congress should apologise for this deplorable tweet. The Congress is a party with a big history but it has no future," he said.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also disapproved and said the action amounted to political suicide.
"What is about the elements of the Congress party that commit political suicide with such amazing regularity? This tweet is in such poor taste," he tweeted.
The meme figured Modi, May, and US President Donald Trump, with word clouds over their heads.
--IANS
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)