The Congress put out a video on its official Twitter handle poking fun at Narendra Modi’s hugs with world leaders on a Sunday when the Prime Minister hugged his visiting Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. An incensed BJP said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi should apologise. The 1.03-minute video showed Modi embracing various world leaders in India and abroad with a comment “With Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visiting India, we look forward to more hugs from PM Modi #Hugplomacy.”
Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said the party had now stooped to its lowest. “Cyrus Broacha making fun of the Prime Minister is different, the main opposition party’s move is different. This is the lowest the Congress has ever stooped. There is no sense and balance left in Congress (and) if there is any, they should apologise. We condemn this,” Javadekar said.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said: “The world has its eyes on Israeli PM Netanyahu’s visit to India and a tweet from India’s main opposition party on this line is unacceptable. First they called him (Modi) neech, then they asked him to sell tea and now this. Rahul Gandhi should apologise,” he said. “Congress president only talks of winning by love. While this is what Indian PM is doing….winning the world by love. While Modi win you whine,” he tweeted.
The video said Modi is awkward especially around foreign leaders and his hugs are “even more awkward”. It then pokes fun with captions while showing Modi hugging US President Donald Trump, Turkish President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Emmanuel Macron.