An IAS officer found herself in the middle of a storm for allegedly posting a tweet calling for the removal of the picture of Mahatma Gandhi from the country’s currency notes, removal of his statues from across the world, and renaming all the institutions and roads named after him.
She followed it with thanking Nathuram Godse for 30.01.1948, the day he shot dead Gandhi.
This was tweeted by IAS officer Nidhi Choudhari, BMC’s Deputy Municipal Commissioner.
As soon as the tweet went viral, the Opposition Congress and NCP demanded the suspension of Nidhi Choudhari. The tweet, posted on May 17, has been deleted.
Following the escalation of protests against her tweet and demands for her suspension, Choudhari said that the tweet was “sarcastic” and that it was “misinterpreted”.
Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan and Nationalist Congress Party leader Jitendra Awhad have separately demanded suspension of the IAS officer.
“The tweet is condemnable. It only shows her low thinking. The need of the hour is to stop such a thought,” Ashok Chavan said on Sunday, adding that the state government should make its stand clear on the issue, which would be seen into what action it takes against the officer.
“The government should show whether it is with Gandhi’s ideology or that of Godse,” he said.
NCP leader Jitendra Awhad had on Saturday demanded the suspension of Choudhari for posting the derogatory tweet and glorifying Godse.
“She glorified Godse by posting a derogatory tweet about Gandhiji. This shouldn’t be tolerated,” he said.
(With agency inputs)