Day after the mega 'Howdy, Modi!' rally in Houston that saw a participation of around 50,000 Indian Americans and US President Donald Trump, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted a photograph of first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi that he claimed was taken in the US in 1954.
While the photo was aimed at taking a swipe at PM Modi, the senior Congress leader found himself surrounded in controversy.
"Nehru & India Gandhi in the US in 1954. Look at the hugely enthusiastic spontaneous turnout of the American public, without any special PR campaign, NRI crowd management or hyped-up media publicity," Tharoor had captioned the photo that showed Nehru and Indira Gandhi in an open vehicle surrounded by a sea of people.
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But it turned out that photo was not taken in the US but in USSR. In fact, the photo was not even taken in 1954 but in June 1955 in Magnitogorsk, according to fact-checking website Alt News.
After several Tweeples responded to Tharoor's post and told him it was a gaffe, the senior Congress leader issued a clarification which also overflowed with criticism against PM Modi.
"I am told this picture (forwarded to me) probably is from a visit to the USSR and not the US. Even if so, it still doesn't alter the message: the fact is that former PMs also enjoyed popularity abroad. When @narendramodi is honoured, @PMOIndia is honoured; respect is for India," Tharoor tweeted.
