Priyanka Chaturvedi, Sushmita Deb finds fault with Jairam's Azad criticism

Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi and Trinamool Congress' Sushmita Dev, both former Congress leaders, on Wednesday found fault with senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's criticism of Ghulam Nabi Azad for accepting the Padma Bhushan.

Ramesh had on Tuesday night posted a cryptic tweet after Marxist veteran Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee declined Padma Bhushan, "Right thing to do. He (Bhattacharjee) wants to be Azad (independent) not Ghulam (slave)."

Congress' Rajya Sabha Chief Whip did not mention Azad by name but the wordplay did not miss any eyes.

Also Read | Bhattacharya wants to be 'Azad not Ghulam': Jairam Ramesh

However, Sena's Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Chaturvedi, who was a former Congress spokesperson, responded saying it showed how one's thought is shallow. Chaturvedi resigned from Congress in the midst of Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and joined Shiv Sena, which later nominated her to Rajya Sabha.

"Calling someone Azad for declining a national honour&Ghulam for accepting it, shows how shallow one’s thought is towards a national honour. This isn’t the first nor the last time that opposition leaders will be acknowledged for their work, please maintain that spirit and dignity," she tweeted.

Deb, who was former Mahila Congress chief, tweeted, "Padma Bhushan for Tarun Gogoi and Bharat Ratna for Pranab Mukherjee -- does it make them Ghulams?" She joined Trinamool Congress last year and was nominated to Rajya Sabha later.

Narendra Modi government had conferred Bharat Ratna on Mukherjee in 2019 while Gogoi was chosen for Padma Bhushan last year. The Modi government had in 2017 conferred Padma Vibhushan on NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

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