Watch: PM Narendra Modi is criticised for insensitive joke about dyslexia (targeting Rahul Gandhi)
The prime minister made the comment while addressing students at the Smart India Hackathon 2019 via video conference.
Making fun of Dyslexia to target political opponent. There is no low which is too Low for Narendra Modi. Worse are the students who were clapping but cant blame them. When the PM of the Nation is such a Cheap Man, they had to entertain him pic.twitter.com/bJ7apIlpup
— Joy (@Joydas) March 3, 2019
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited severe criticism after taking a covert jibe at Congress President Rahul Gandhi with an insensitive joke about people with dyslexia.
The prime minister on Saturday evening addressed engineering students via video conference at the Smart India Hackathon 2019. During his interaction, a student was talking about her idea of helping students with dyslexia when Modi interrupted her to ask if it would benefit people between 40 and 50.
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty which can cause trouble with reading, writing, and spelling. It is not a marker of intelligence or creativity.
In the video that is now viral on social media, the student who asked the question looked taken aback by Modi’s remark. When she attempted to continue, Modi cut her short again, saying that the news would bring happiness to the mothers of such people. Modi’s obvious target was his political opponent Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi.
Modi’s comments mocking dyslexia were heavily criticised on twitter.
Parents of dyslexia children may be fuming at this man’s insensitivity and his obsession with @RahulGandhi. Don’t have words to describe what sort of PM we have
— Chetan Chauhan (@chetanecostani) March 3, 2019
It is utterly disgusting for a PM to make fun of dyslexia for his distasteful political humor. Challenging the earth’s core for a new low here! pic.twitter.com/VbBYFzp8kV
— Aakash Mawal (@aakashmawal) March 3, 2019
Shameful and distressing. Some of us have dyslexic or disabled relatives, friends, children and parents. Sattar saal mein pehli baar, a person with this crassness occupies the chair of the PM. Enough, Mr Modi. Yeh hain sanskar aapke? https://t.co/8wBvtjPy7q
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) March 3, 2019
God! When we thought @narendramodi cd not go any lower, he still manages to stoop.
— Preeti Sharma Menon (@PreetiSMenon) March 3, 2019
As a parent I do not want my kid to listen to a speaker who'd use dyslexia as a slur and here our Prime Minister uses dyslexia to insult @RahulGandhi
This is wrong on so many levels!!! https://t.co/gQ2IZVvY0m