MUMBAI — The Press Trust of India reported that Nidhi Choudhari, the Deputy Municipal Commissioner in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), had posted a tweet about Mahatama Gandhi that led the Nationalist Congress Party to demand her suspension.
The tweet posted on May 17 along with the picture of Mahatma Gandhi’s mortal remains read: “What an exceptional celebration of 150th birth anniversary year is going on. High time we remove his face from our currency, his statues from across the world, rename institutions/roads named after him! That would be a real tribute from all of us! ThankU#Godse for 30.01.1948.”
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Choudhari, however, clarified that her tweet was misinterpreted. She also sarcastically said that studying ‘literary technique’ seems to have been a bad idea since people completely misunderstood her tweet.
The NCP demanded said that the ‘derogatory’ tweet ‘glorified’ Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s killer. NCP leader Jitendra Awhad said, “She glorified Godse by posting a derogatory tweet about Gandhiji. This shouldn’t be tolerated,” he said.
Choudhari then posted a series of tweets — including photos of her garlanding Mahatma Gandhi’s photos in various events — to assert that she wrote the tweet in a spirit of sarcasm.
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“Those who have misinterpreted my tweet of 17.5.2019 should go through my timeline. Even past few months tweets would be self explanatory. I am deeply hurt and saddened by misinterpretation to a tweet written with sarcasm.
Some Twitter users backed her saying it is clear from her timeline that she did not mean to insult Gandhi or call for the erasure of his legacy.
“I would never insult GandhiJi. GandhiJi is Father of Our Nation & in 2019 all of us must do our little bit to make this country better. Hope those misinterpreting my tweets would realise the sarcasm in it,” she said on Twitter on Saturday.
She added that her ideals are based on Gandhi’s principles and for very long, her WhatsApp status has been ‘Satyamev Jayate’.
(With inputs from PTI)