Kerala Congress Issues Apology On PM Modi-Pope Post After BJP Flags It As Insult To Christians

The Kerala unit of the Congress party has issued an apology to the Christian community after BJP flagged a social media post related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

The post, shared on Sunday, featured a photo from the meeting of PM Modi and Pope accompanied by the caption, "Finally, the Pope got a chance to meet God," - a sarcastic reference to a recent remark made by the Prime Minister.

BJP claimed that Congress' post was an "insult" to the Christian community, reported NDTV.

"This tweet by the Congress, equates Prime Minister Modi to Lord Jesus. This is absolutely uncalled for and is an insult to the Christian community, who revere Jesus. It is shameful that Congress has stopped to this level," said Union Minister and BJP leader, George Kurian.

Kerala BJP Chief K Surendran condemned the post, accusing the Congress of mocking the Pope and the Christian faith.

"The @INCIndia Kerala "X" handle, seemingly run by radical Islamists or Urban Naxals, continues to post derogatory and humiliating content against nationalistic leaders. Now, it has even stooped to mocking the respected Pope and the Christian community. It's certain that the AICC General Secretary from Kerala, @kcvenugopalmp, is aware of this. The question is, what are @RahulGandhi and @kharge's interests in supporting this?" said Mr Surendran.

In response, the Kerala Congress expressed regret for the post, stressing that it is not in their tradition to insult any religion. The apology was issued last night to address the controversy and pacify the offended community.

"The entire people of this country know that it is not the tradition of the Indian National Congress to insult and disparage any religion, religious priests and idols. Congress is a movement that unites all religions and faiths and leads the people forward in a friendly atmosphere. No Congress worker would even entertain the remotest thought of insulting the Pope, whom Christians around the world see as God-like. However, the Congress has no qualms about mocking Narendra Modi, who insults the believers of this country by calling himself God," said the Kerala unit of the Congress. We apologize unreservedly if this post has caused any emotional or psychological distress to Christians." read the post.