Why Rahul Gandhi's tweet actually got the BJP's goat

Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means. #BJPLies pic.twitter.com/I7n1f07GaX

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 27, 2017

His tweet came just hours after Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had said in the House that “nothing should be said to hurt the dignity of the Prime Minister”.

Azad had said that while thanking the Leader of the House Arun Jaitley for saying unequivocally that Modi, the NDA government and the BJP held former prime minister Manmohan Singh in high regard.

Jaitley's statement, in turn, was an attempt to put a lid on the controversy triggered by Modi's insinuation during the electoral campaign in Gujarat that Manmohan Singh had conspired with Pakistan to ensure BJP's loss in state Assembly elections.

That controversy had led to obstruction in both Houses of the Parliament for last several days. Congress members had been demanding an apology from Modi to Singh as well as former vice president Hamid Ansari, who had also been named in Modi's comments.

Jaitley's statement and Azad's welcome had ended the uproar, allowing the Parliament to run. However, Gandhi's tweet at the fag end of the day suggested that the tussle was yet to come to an end.

As Rajya Sabha began to settle down for business after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's statement on 28 December, BJP's Bhupender Yadav stood up to raise a point of order. Gandhi's tweet, Yadav asserted, was a breach of privilege of – wait for this – Jaitley, even though the swipe was primarily targeted at Modi.

The reason for the breach, according to Yadav, was that Gandhi had deliberately twisted the finance minister's name in his tweet. For those who might have missed it, Gandhi's tweet addressed Jaitley as 'Jaitlie'.

It is not clear whether this was a typo or a deliberate jibe, because neither has Gandhi retracted or corrected that tweet nor has the Congress said anything on the matter.

However, it has been proved to be strong enough to hurt the sentiments of the party that it is in power with a brute majority at the Centre and partial/full majority in as many as 19 states now. It is ironic that BJP wants to get away with something as sinister as trying to present a former PM and a former VP as traitors, but wants accountability for a mere tweet from the other side.

If you are not feeling as irked as Yadav, you can take a look at some of the responses to Gandhi's tweet that indicate confusion among Twitterati on whether it was a mistake or a clever jab.

That's deliberate : Jait+lie, it took me 1 hr to decode it. 😁 Jaitley is Jait+lie now.

— manoj vyas (@mjbill2014) December 27, 2017

Dear RAHUL Baba he is Mr. Jaitley @arunjaitley not Mr. Jaitlie .. pic.twitter.com/AcBOdml6Jc

— Amit Choudhary (@amitkumarchy) December 27, 2017

You obviously can't think! Missing the point.. actually it is Mr Jetliar @amitkumarchy @OfficeOfRG @arunjaitley

— Rajeev Kashikar (@rajeevkashikar) December 27, 2017

R is silent in Jetliar @amitkumarchy @OfficeOfRG @arunjaitley

— Rajeev Kashikar (@rajeevkashikar) December 27, 2017

Someone who cannot even spell Jaitley dreams of becoming the PM. Get a life lad

— Manjeet Bagga (@Goldenthrust) December 27, 2017

Dear Mr Raul Vinci - thank you for reminding India that as President of Congress party you are making fun of Mr Jaitley's name.
If you think that you are being a cool dude, then sorry....Imagine a FM taking a dig at you by calling you #Pidi who is dying to go to Bangkok. #Shame

— Dr Shitij Srivastava (@shitijsrivastav) December 27, 2017

From 'neech', to 'Jaitlie', you and your partymen cannot get sleep without personally abusing @BJP4India leaders. Where was the need to suspend M S Aiyer when you are now doing something very similar? More 'moral victories' in store for you! @arunjaitley

— Golden Arrow (@ChocolateLavaC1) December 28, 2017

I loved that JaitLIE 😂

— Raju P. Nair (@RajuPNair) December 27, 2017

Edited by Jhinuk Sen