Indian billionaire businessman Anand Mahindra, who is known for his humorous social media presence faced the backlash of users after an 'insensitive' tweet about masks amit the coronavirus lockdown.
The 64-year-old hoped that an image of a mother and toddler wearing masks made out of leaves would become the most iconic image during the pandemic.
The tweet, which was later deleted by Mahindra, read: "Don't know who took this and the location but i hope this photo becomes one of the most iconic images and memories of the pandemic. It's not just about #MaskIndia but also about a greener world. A reminder that nature already provides us with all that we need."
But Mahindra's tweet was deemed insensitive by the users, especially comedian Aditi Mittal who pointed out that wearing masks made out of leaves is not something which should be celebrated.
"Anand, this is NOTHING to be celebrated. There is NO EVIDENCE that wearing a leaf provides ANY kind of protection. They are not doing this environmental awareness, they are doing this because govs who were supposed to provide them this life saving mask have forsaken them," Mittal wrote.
Mahindra then accepted his mistake and apologized for his insensitive tweet. He deleted the tweet.
"You’re right, I can see how my tweet appeared insensitive to the inequity of the situation. I’ve deleted it," Mahindra tweeted.
Meanwhile, the nationwide tally of coronavirus positive patients neared 25,000 on Saturday with fresh cases getting detected in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh among other places, but the government said the daily growth rate has dipped to 6 per cent and some states began relaxing some lockdown conditions by allowing more shops to open.
