India

Netizens troll Rahul Gandhi for saying Coca-Cola owner sold ‘Shikanji’


Gandhi was trying to take a jibe at PM Modi and make a point that while big businessmen are given all the privileges, farmers who work behind the scenes are being ignored while he made the interesting analogy. Soon with hashtag #AccordingToRahulGandhi meme-makers took a sarcastic route to counter his claim.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the Coca-Cola was founded by a person who used to sell ‘Shikanji’ in America while the founder of McDonald’s used to run a ‘dhaba’ in the country. Talking at the national OBC convention for the party at Talkatora Stadium in the Capital, the Congress leader took a jibe at the Opposition by saying he wants to see those dhaba owners in India who have turned into the founders of Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. However, the politician’s unusual remark grabbed attention from all sides.

A small clip from his address was shared by news agency ANI on Twitter and soon the video got everyone talking.

Soon, the hashtag “#AccordingToRahulGandhi” became on of the top India Twitter trends, as thousands mocked the Congress leader over his statements.

https://twitter.com/Sohni_Bose/status/1006117871448031234

Gandhi went on to ask the gathering if they had heard of the Ford company, Mercedes and Honda and who had started them.

“It was a mechanic. Ford and Honda were mechanics. You show me an automobile company in India that was started by a mechanic. Where is it? It is not that our people, our ‘dhaba-wallahs’ do not have sense and strength. It is not that India’s mechanics did not have the potential as that of Ford or Mercedes. It is that if the doors of bank are open for Ford, Mercedes, then the doors of banks and politics are shut for our ‘dhabawalas’, mechanics and ‘dhobis’ and other backwards,” he said at the convention.

Someone also ‘tampered’ with the Wikipedia page of John Pemberton, the American pharmacist who is best known as the developer and founder of Coca-Cola. In the first paragraph of the Wikipedia page, someone added: “He used to sell lemonade (Shikhanji) in his earlier days along with Gandhi family.”

However, this flippant addition was removed shortly afterwards.

The Wikipedia page made no mention of Pemberton ever being involved in the lemonade business.

It describes Pemberton, who lived from July 8, 1831 to August 16, 1888, as a pharmacist who in May 1886 developed an early version of a beverage that would later become world-famous as Coca-Cola. He sold his rights to the drink shortly before his death.


Adam Rizvi

Adam Rizvi

Adam Rizvi has a unique talent for publishing to marketing to managing projects, writers & assigning the task to correspondents. Edits an e-paper & cover the news. An activist, spend time with family & friends. His adorable daughters, Alizah & Anum are his lifelines. He spends his time reading, swimming, hiking, cycling, and watching with them their favorite TV shows, & fixing the Big Old House where he lives. Studied literature & management. Volunteer for non-profits. President of a Travel Agency. Publisher. Circulated the newspapers. Acted & Assisted in directing & production of the award-winning film & TV Serial. Scripted a little. Modeled. Emceed the live shows & judged competitions. A caring sibling and was an obedient son of his late doting parents whom he misses dearly. Adam uses his various positions & experiences in building a strong relationship with all. Appreciates his articles being read, commented, liked, and shared. He can be reached at his personal email: mediaiss@gmail.com.

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