The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mocked Rahul Gandhi on Monday after the former Congress Party president made curious remarks about himself during the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yara' march, which is currently passing through the BJP-ruled state of Haryana.
At a press conference in Ambala city, the 52-year-old Gandhi was asked about his self-image, saying: "Rahul Gandhi exists in your mind, I have killed him. He's not in my mind. He's gone. The person you're seeing is not Rahul Gandhi."
He invited the journalist raising the query to study books about Hinduism and Lord Shiva to get the context of his comments, before adding, "I have nothing to do with image. You create the image you want. Good or bad, that's yours, not mine. I have to do my work."
In response, the BJP shared the clip of Gandhi's interaction with the scribe while taking a dig at the former Congress president, saying: "Do not be surprised".
Another prominent face from the BJP, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, posted laughing emojis in a tweet about Gandhi.
Gandhi's critics often dub him as "Pappu" (dumb person), including top BJP figures such as Home Minister Amit Shah.
In one of the most recent instances, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij attacked Gandhi online.
"By making Rahul Gandhi have a salt-n-pepper look and making him walk around in a half-sleeved shirt, the Congress is trying to project that Rahul Gandhi is no longer a child but has grown up. But by changing the makeup, artists can be changed only in Ramleela, not in real life. In real life, Pappu remains Pappu irrespective of the talcum powder he puts on," Vij said on the microblogging platform.
Ramleela is a theatrical presentation of Lord Rama's life in exile enacted by artists every year on stage.