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New Delhi: In the middle of assembly elections in Kerala in 2011, the then chief minister VS Achutanandan took a potshot at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling him an "Amul Baby", referring to the national dairy brand's mascot.
This was in response to a remark against Achutanandan by Gandhi during his campaign trail in the southern state.
Attacking Achuthanandan for his advancing age, the Congress leader had said that if the Left Front received another mandate, Kerala would have a 93-year-old chief minister in five years' time.
Achuthanandan responded by calling Gandhi an "Amul Baby" and his party workers "Amul Babies".
Known for its catchy and witty ad campaigns, Amul immediately came up with an advertisement inspired by the veteran comrade leader. It showed Achuthanandan, sitting on an amusement park bumper car and pointing at Gandhi, also sitting on a bumper car with Amul's mascot. The tagline of the ad read, "They are both Amul babies!"
The veteran leader repeated his jibe in 2019 following Gandhi's decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad in Kerala along with Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
While Gandhi lost to BJP's Smriti Irani from Amethi, he secured a massive mandate from Wayanad.
Achuthanandan said his 2011 "Amul Baby" jibe was still relevant.
In a Facebook post, Achutanandan reprimanded Gandhi for his attitude of approaching situations without understanding them. "Despite reaching middle age, Gandhi's childishness continues," he wrote.
The Congress is an alliance partner of the CPI(M) at the national level, but bitter rivals in Kerala.
"I did not call him like that without a reason. I did it because of the childishness that Rahul Gandhi showed in politics. And today, with Rahul Gandhi deciding to contest from Wayanad, that statement is still relevant. In other words, it's like cutting the branch of the tree on which one is sitting. Hence, I feel that what I said about him years back is still relevant," the late leader wrote.