Congress tweets video showing PM Modi with Asaram, draws flak

Hours after a Jodhpur court convicted self-styled godman Asaram of raping a minor girl, Congress on Wednesday tweeted a video showing an old picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with rapist Asaram Bapu.

The Congress shared the video saying, "A man is known by the company he keeps" - Aesop's fables, along with #AsaramVerdict.

The minute-long video shows an old footage of PM Narendra Modi seeking blessings from Asaram.

Narendra Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister addressing a gathering saying, "I have been lucky enough to seek Bapu's blessings from times when none knew him".

The clip also shows Asaram hugging PM Modi and hailing the meeting between the two as an amalgamation of spirituality and leadership.The tweet received a flak from Twitter followers, many of whom tweeted several photographs showing Congress leaders hugging and socialising with convicted criminals.

Reacting quickly to the post, Hindi film actor-director Farhan Akhtar criticised those who were posting old pictures of Asaram with politicians. He said that it wasn't a crime if someone was associated with Asaram before he was accused or found guilty.

"So, Asaram is a child rapist. And he has been found guilty. Good. But can people please stop sharing images of him with PM Modi. Patronising him before he was exposed to be a pervert is no crime. Let's be fair and give him the benefit of doubt that he, like us, did not know," tweeted Akhtar.

Self-styled godman Asaram has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a minor in his ashram. His aides, Shilpi and Sharad, who were convicted with him, have been sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment each.