Meerut: A senior Congress leader referring to party vice president Rahul Gandhi as 'pappu' in a social media message heaping praise on him for his Mandsaur visit backfired as he was removed from all party positions.

A Times of India report said on Wednesday that Vinay Pradhan, the party's Meerut district president, had referred to Rahul Gandhi in a message sent on a WhatsApp group titled 'Indian National Congress'.

In his WhatsApp message, Pradhan had lauded Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Mandsaur following the death of five protesting farmers in police firing.

"Pappu could have joined hands with Adani, Ambani and Mallya but he did not do that. Pappu could have been a minister or even the Prime Minister, but he did not go down that road. Instead, he put his life on the line by going to Mandsaur." Pradhan's said in the message.

Reacting to it, Ramkrishna Dwivedi, chairman of the disciplinary committee in Congress, issued a letter on Tuesday announcing Pradhan's removal from all party posts for the "provocative" message.

"This is an attempt to malign the party leadership. Other parties appear to be involved in this. It is also an effort to divert attention from the main issues, like the plight of farmers in Madhya Pradesh," he said in the letter, adding, "Vinay Pradhan is guilty of violating the constitution of Congress party."

However, in his defence, Pradhan said that the message in question was not sent by him, and he wasn't given an opportunity to explain himself.

It is to be noted that Rahul Gandhi is often referred to as 'pappu" by his critics on social media.