Yuva Congress Mouthpiece Tweets Meme Calling PM Modi “Chaiwala”, Deletes It After Backlash

With the Gujarat Assembly polls barely a few weeks away, the jitteriness in the Congress made itself more visible when Yuva Desh- the Indian Youth Congress' mouthpiece, tweeted a derogatory meme attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The meme featured a picture of Modi talking to United States President Donald Trump and United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May.

This isn’t the first time that the Congress has attacked Modi’s origins as a chaiwallah or tea vendor. Prior to the 2014 General Elections, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had condescendingly said "Modi would never become prime minister, but he was welcome to serve tea to Congressmen".

Ironically, this meme comes in days after Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi told the media that the Congress was different from the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) because they didn’t ‘disrespect the Prime Minister’s position’.

The meme, now deleted drew flak from various corners of the political spectrum, with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah criticising the tweet.

As India Today’s executive editor Gaurav Sawant pointed out, the last time anyone in the Congress made a ‘chaiwallah’ comment, many felt it cost them dearly. The BJP’s campaign in 2014 revolved around Modi’s origins as a chaiwallah and led to the success of his chai pe charcha campaign.