Highlights:
- Karnataka Congress posts a tweet personally attacking the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
- Karnataka Congress soon deleted the Tweet and blamed the “Novice”
- DK Shivakumar, Chief of Karnataka Congress admitted to the derogatory tweet saying it fell short of “civil and parliamentary language”
The Congress in Karnataka deleted a tweet which labelled the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi an “angootha-chaap” or illiterate, also expressing regret for what it called an “uncivil tweet” posted by a “novice social media manager”.
Last night, DK Shivakumar, Chief of Karnataka Congress, withdrawing the controversial post, admitted that the tweet fell short of the standards of “civil and parliamentary language” in political discourse.
Shivakumar tweeted, “I have always believed that civil and parliamentary language is a non-negotiable pre-requisite for political discourse. “An uncivil tweet made by a novice social media manager through the Karnataka Congress official Twitter handle is regretted and stands withdrawn”.
I have always believed that civil and parliamentary language is a non-negotiable pre-requisite for political discourse. An uncivil tweet made by a novice social media manager through the Karnataka Congress official Twitter handle is regretted and stands withdrawn.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) October 18, 2021
The Karnataka Congress had directed a personal attack at PM Modi in the now-deleted tweet.
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The Tweet, written in Kannada, said, “Congress built schools but Modi never went to study. Congress even set up schemes for adults to learn, Modi didn’t learn there too.
“People who chose to beg for a living despite beggary being prohibited are today pushing citizens to beggary.
“Country is suffering because of “#angoothachhaap modi,”.
The party was hoping the hashtag will gain traction on the social media platform.
“Angootha-chhaap” is used derogatorily for a person who cannot read or write and uses a thumbprint as a signature.
As of now, no senior BJP leader has reacted to the slur, however, a Karnataka spokesperson of the party, Malavika Avinash, told NDTV “only the Congress could stoop so low” and added that the comment does not even merit a response.
The tweet only added to the pile of acrimonious posts between the BJP and the Congress in the run-up to by-polls for two assembly constituencies which will take place on the 30th of October.
For the ruling BJP, it holds paramount importance to register a win in its first electoral test after it replaced BS Yediyurappa as Chief Minister and installed Basavaraj Bommai in July.
The opposition Congress, who aims to win both seats – one belonged to the Janata Dal Secular while the toBJP – has been campaigning aggressively, however, has lately made some glaring missteps.
Two of its leaders, recently, were caught on a hot mic gossiping about their boss Mr Shivakumar, even alleging bribe-taking.
The party’s Siddaramaiah has also been fighting on Twitter with Mr Bommai; the two leaders have been swapping insults since last week.
