On October 30, quoting ANI’s tweet that talked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Sevadal cracked a ‘Rice Bag’ joke. The organization wrote, “BIG BREAKING: IMD warns of a massive shortage of rice due to low yield and untimely rains. PM Modi taking all necessary steps in the direction.”
Netizens react to the Rice Bag joke by Congress Sevadal
While BJP supporters took a dig at Congress saying that the account might have been hacked, the Christians did not find it funny. A Twitter user Thamson Antony, wrote, “So you people are gross too.”
Another user, Jaadoo, said, “Congress just hate people in general.”
Several users mocked Congress. A Twitter user Akshay said, “Are they really trolling Christian missionaries or Modiji.”
Vipra Srivastava asked if their account had been hacked. “Rice bag joke by Congress? Is this the official Maha Congress handle? Someone hacked it?”
Another netizen Emperor was confused when and how Congress started trolling the converts. He said, “are yeh kab Hua (when did this happen)? congress trolling rice bags….lmao.”
What is ‘Rice Bag’ Convert?
‘Rice Bag Convert’ or ‘Rice Christians‘ or simply ‘Rice Bag’ refers to people who convert to Christianity after being induced to do so by Christian missionaries on the promise of material benefits. The term has been in use for centuries. According to The Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, published in the 19th Century, Rice Christians are “Converts to Christianity for worldly benefits, such as a supply of rice to Indians. The profession of Christianity born of lucre, not faith.”
Over time, the usage of the term has entered mainstream use to mock Christians who converted for material benefits.