Absolutely wrong: Rajnath Singh condemns trolls against Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi: The trolling of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is wrong, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.

Singh is the only minister to have spoken out in support of his colleague, who has been the subject of offensive tweets following a passport row involving an interfaith couple.

"In my opinion, it is wrong," Singh told reporters here when asked to comment on the issue.

The external affairs minister conducted a poll on Twitter asking users whether they "approve" of such trolling -- 43 per cent said yes and 57 per cent no.

Read: After facing online abuse, Sushma Swaraj responds with Twitter poll

"In a democracy difference of opinion is but natural. Pls do criticise but not in foul language. Criticism in decent language is always more effective," Swaraj said on Twitter on Sunday.

The external affairs minister had re-tweeted some of the offensive tweets directed at her following the transfer of Passport Seva Kendra official Vikas Mishra in Lucknow for allegedly humiliating the interfaith couple.

Mishra was transferred from Lucknow to Gorakhpur after the couple alleged that he humiliated them when they went to the office with their passport applications. According to the couple, Mishra asked the husband to convert to Hinduism and pulled up the wife for marrying a Muslim.

Mishra had said in his defence that he was secular and had told the woman that her 'nikahnama' showed her name as Shazia Anas, which should be endorsed in her file.

Read: Passport verification report of harassed couple under scrutiny: Centre

A section of social media had attacked Swaraj and the ministry for taking action against Mishra, claiming that he was just doing his duty. The minister took it on the chin and retweeted some of the tweets that were abusive and communal in nature.