PM Narendra Modi's fitness video bizarre, ridiculous, says Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fitness video put out on Wednesday morning as "bizarre" and "ridiculous". Hosting an Iftar party at a luxury hotel in New Delhi, Gandhi said this amounted to bankruptcy and asked CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury to put out his fitness video to match the prime minister.

"Did you see the PM's fitness video? It is ridiculous... I mean... It is bizarre... This is bankruptcy," he said as he poked fun at the video put out by the prime minister.

Guests share a light hearted moment with Former Presidents Pranab Mukherjee & Pratibha Patil at the #iftar hosted by Congress President @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/lZXsLjW3RP — Congress (@INCIndia) June 13, 2018

News agency PTI said that Rahul Gandhi made the remarks while sharing a table with former presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil. The Congress president then turned to Yechury asking him to put out his fitness video as a challenge to Modi's. Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi, BSP leader Satish Chandra Misra and DMK's Kanimozhi were among those who had a hearty laugh over the prime minister's video.

Mukherjee, Patil and former vice president Hamid Ansari, who were sharing the table, were silently hearing the conversation.

This comes just hours after Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, who was given the fitness challenge by Prime Minister Modi, snubbed the challenge saying his fitness mattered on the fitness of Karnataka.

"Dear @narendramodi ji, I am honoured& thankU very much for d concern about my health. I believe physical fitness is imptnt for all&support d cause. Yoga-treadmill r part of my daily workout regime. Yet, I am more concerned about devlpment fitness of my state&seek ur support for it(sic)," tweeted the JDS leader.

Earlier, Congress leader Pramod Tewari termed the fitness video as an insult to the supreme sacrifice of the four BSF personnel who died in cross-border firing from Pakistan in Kashmir.

Accepting a fitness challenge given by Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Wednesday morning posted a video which showed him doing a number of exercises in the morning to 'refresh and rejuvenate' himself.

In the video, PM Modi could be seen walking on a track which he said was inspired by the five elements of nature. "Apart from Yoga, I walk on a track inspired by the Panchtatvas or 5 elements of nature - Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu, Aakash. This is extremely refreshing and rejuvenating," he wrote in a message accompanying the video.

(With PTI Inputs)