PM Modi says Punjab CM Badal is India’s Mandela, attracts trolls

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 12, 2015: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as the ’Nelson Mandela of Independent India’. The remark attracted a lot of ridicule on the social media.

Addressing a gathering during Loktantra Prahari Abhinandan-a programme organised to commemorate the 113th birth anniversary of Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan in the Capital-the prime minister said it was unfortunate that very few people in the country were aware of the fact that in free India, Badal had been jailed for around two decades solely for political reasons. He added that this ’great personality’ had suffered just for opposing those in power.

Modi went on to describe Badal as the ’Nelson Mandela of free India’. "Badal sahab is sitting here... he is the Nelson Mandela of India. The only crime of people like Badal sahab is that they had political views different from those in power," he said.

Soon after the statement, social media was abuzz with posts ridiculing the PM’s comment.

Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Capt. Amarinder Singh took to Twitter to take a dig at Modi. "Who says our PM has no sense of humour. Let’s hope, like Mandela, Bharat Ratna/Nobel Prize next for Badal," he tweeted.

In a statement issued later, the former Punjab CM said "either it was a tongue-in-cheek comment by the PM and he really did not mean what he said or he actually does not know what he is saying". He added that if Modi really meant so, it is an insult to the great stature of Nelson Mandela who single-handedly fought against and defeated the Apartheid in South Africa.

Amarinder pointed out that Mandela had spent 27 years in jail, in isolation and solitary confinement fighting against apartheid, whereas Badal may not have spent a total of even 27 months in jail, and most of the time in luxury and hospitality of the government. "Most of the jail terms of Badal were voluntary as he would always hide behind the safety and the hospitality of the government guesthouses after sparking trouble in Punjab," he said.

Former Punjab deputy chief minister and Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal also criticised the PM for comparing Badal to Mandela, saying that it was an insult to the South African leader. Claiming that Badal had gone to jail only for political gain, she said Modi should give details about Badal’s jail terms so that the people of the country know about them.

The PM got trolled on Twitter with the hashtag #YoBadal SoMandela.

Some even compared Modi to ’Pappu’ (Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi). One user wrote, "With this statement Sri Narendra Modi ji proved that there is no difference between him and Rahul Gandhi.. #YoBadalSoMandela @PMOIndia." "With so many election rallies, looks like Modi has run out of logical/sensible arguments to convince voters!" another one tweeted.

 

 

Courtesy: Indiatoday