Narendra Modi's meme controversy: BJP says Yuva Desh's tweet insults PM, reflects Congress' 'English mindset'

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of having an 'English mindset', a day after the Congress' youth wing posted a meme mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'chaiwallah' past and English speaking skills.

BJP national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said the post--deleted after it created a controversy in the run-up to the Gujarat polls--was an 'insult' to the common people of the country who do not speak English.

"The tweet posted by the magazine against the Prime Minister is wrong. It is an insult to the common people who do not speak English language," Rao told reporters here.

The official Twitter handle of the Youth Congress' online magazine "Yuva Desh" had kicked up a row by mocking Modi's 'chaiwallah' past and English speaking skills through a photograph showing him in conversation with British premier Theresa May and US President Donald Trump.

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

Another derogatory tweet by Yuva Desh which was posted on November 20, has not been deleted yet pic.twitter.com/EJcq224xtV

— ANI (@ANI) November 21, 2017

The blurbs show PM Modi telling the two leaders about the Opposition's memes targeting him. He is shown mispronouncing the word and Trump correcting him, while May tells him to go and sell tea.

After the flutter caused by the meme, the tweet was deleted and Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Amarinder Singh Raja tendered his apology.

Rao claimed it was wrong on the part of the Congress to 'insult' the country's prime minister in public although healthy criticism was acceptable in a democracy.

He said though the common people were using smartphones and social media, they did not use the English language for communication.