Modi-Mahatma Khadi row: Sitaram Yechury calls PM Modi 'weak, ineffective'

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Monday his party "empathises" with "weak and ineffective" Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose picture was reportedly used in KVIC calendar and diary reportedly without PMO's authorisation. "We empathise with such a weak and ineffective PM who has no control over govt departments nor private companies misusing his image," he tweeted, also referring to Modi's photograph appearing in advertisements by some private firms.

We empathise with such a weak and ineffective PM who has no control over govt departments nor private companies misusing his image. pic.twitter.com/oSLWvVPFNg

— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) January 16, 2017

The photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the calendar and the diary of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in place of Mahatma Gandhi's picture has kicked up a row, with opposition parties slamming it even as the government and BJP dismissed the controversy as "unnecessary".

Dismissing the controversy as "unnecessary", the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had said, "There is no rule in KVIC that its diary and calendar should have only Gandhiji's photo."