The Congress on Friday condemned an “unacceptable comment” directed at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, which appeared on the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate. The party demanded immediate action against the officer responsible for the post.
Later, District Magistrate Manish Verma issued a statement through his X handle, claiming that his account had been misused by anti-social elements who posted the offensive comment.
“Taking this matter seriously, an FIR has been registered, and legal action is underway. The cyber cell is investigating the inappropriate tweet/comment,” the statement read. A copy of the FIR was also posted on the X handle.
Earlier, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, called out the post, describing it as “completely inappropriate and unacceptable.” He expressed concern over the growing politicization of India’s bureaucracy over the last decade.
“This is not new; over the past 10 years, India’s civil service and other non-political officials have become increasingly politicized,” Ramesh wrote on X. “There is a concerted effort to weaken the civil service, which Sardar Patel once called the steel frame of India. This incident is yet another example of that trend,” he added, demanding swift action against the officer.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also shared her disapproval on X. She posted a clip from a conversation with a historian, in which she remarked, “History is made and cannot be changed. Narendra Modi knows how history will remember him, and that’s why he is worried.”
In response, a now-deleted post from the official X handle of the Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate said in Hindi, “You should think about yourself and your Pappu.”
Shrinate later shared a screenshot of the deleted post, stating, “This is the DM of Noida, responsible for the entire district. His language and thoughts about the country’s opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, are concerning.” She further claimed, “It is evident that the administrative staff is full of Sanghis, spreading hatred while occupying constitutional positions.”
Congress leader Pawan Khera also criticized the post, questioning if IAS officers had been directed to make such political comments under the BJP government. He tagged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Ministry of Home Affairs in his tweet.
The post came from an X handle that is not verified, though it claims to be the official handle of the Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate. Congress has called for a thorough investigation into the incident and demanded accountability for the misuse of the official platform.
