Thinking of giving up social media: Prime Minister Narendra Modi As a social media storm broke over Modi’s tweet, Rahul Gandhi tweeted: 'Give up hatred, not social media accounts'

“This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you posted,” Narendra Modi tweeted at 8.56pm. (AP)

TT, 3 March 2020, New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more at ease handling social media than fielding uncensored questions at media conferences within the country, tweeted on Monday that he was “thinking of” quitting all such platforms.

“This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you posted,” Modi tweeted at 8.56pm.

The virtual threat immediately ignited conflicting theories. One held that Modi was venting ire at foreign media and the trolls variously criticising and lampooning him over the citizenship tripod and the Delhi riots.

The other theory, drawing on the Prime Minister’s penchant for making grand announcements, speculated that he was about to unveil a “swadeshi” version of Twitter or Facebook as the Chinese had done with their Weibo.

A third theory stressed the word “thinking”, suggesting it could be a shot across the bows of foreign-based platforms that would not like to antagonise a popular user like Modi. The Prime Minister is one of the most followed world leaders on social media with 53.3 million followers on Twitter, 44 million on Facebook and over 30 million on Instagram.

Recently, Twitter had blocked the handle of the editor of a pro-Hindutva publication for posting controversial content. The Hindutva ecosystem responded by tweeting the very tweet for which the editor had been barred.

As a social media storm broke over Modi’s latest tweet, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Give up hatred, not social media accounts.”

With the hashtag “No Sir”, Modi’s supporters pleaded with him not to vacate the digital space. Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of BJP leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, went a step further and tweeted: “Sometimes it’s the smallest decision that can change our life forever! I will follow the path of my leader.”