Tensions were running high, emotions were heightened, the air was full of gloom and in the middle of it were a whole sea of politicians who had come to pay their last respects to the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa. As the television media panned their cameras over the dignitaries that came, one face was highlighted – that of Rahul Gandhi. Now, there was nothing different about his appearance save for a wide smile across his face. Another of his party members Ghulam Nabi Azad, behind him, was caught smiling.
Smiling at a funeral and that too such a high profile one, will not go unnoticed. The twitteratti were quick to admonish the duo online for their act. Many have compared their moment to that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi comforting O Panneerselvam, the newly sworn in CM of Tamil Nadu. Some have even posted pictures as proof and have tagged the whole thing as insensitive. There were screengrabs of videos posted online:
@OfficeOfRG gulag azad smiling at #ammafuneral . #Pappu has proved that he is indeed the biggest idiot in Indian politics. @myvotetoday pic.twitter.com/u7sgTfLf8a
— krishna Dubey (@RSSkrishnanand) 7 December 2016
Pappu laughing with his state president thirunavakarusu in the burial ground,when Jayalalithas body being loweredpic.twitter.com/bFtJv6QDnO
— Madhav (@mahesh10816) 6 December 2016