From former US President Obama to Russian premier Putin and even UP CM Yogi Adityanath, many political leaders have broken down owing to a variety of reasons.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke down while addressing a parliamentary meeting of BJP MPs Wednesday. Sources at the meeting in the Parliament House complex said Modi’s emotions got the better of him as he uttered the word ‘Gujarat’.
But this is not the first time the man with the ‘tough guy’ image has cried. He had also teared up in 2014, when he was elected leader of the BJP parliamentary party.
Nor is Modi the first leader in the world to shed tears. Here are some other famous leaders who’ve broken down:
Barack Obama
Like Modi, former US President Barack Obama got teary eyed more than once.
In 2008, a day before the presidential elections, his eyes dampened at a campaign stop, when he recalled his grandmother who had recently passed away.
After his victory, the President got emotional again as he thanked his staff in Chicago for the work they had put in to get him elected.
“What you guys have done means the work that I’m doing is important,” he said, while drying his tears.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary shed tears while making an appearance on the campaign trail in 2008.
Asked what made her step out every day to run for President, she emotionally responded: “I just don’t want to see us fall backward as a nation. I mean this is very personal for me. Not just political. I see what’s happening. We have to reverse it.”
Several election analysts believe that her tears were what helped her win that particular primary, even though she eventually lost the Democratic race to Obama.
Vladimir Putin
Being a former KGB spy with a black belt in karate has not stopped the notorious tough guy from shedding a tear on television.
He emotionally addressed crowds of supporters after claiming victory in the 2012 presidential elections.
He also cried when a soft-rock song about the honour and bravery of the Russian police force was played at a concert in the Kremlin.
Kim Jong-un
While North Korea’s propagandists strive to portray their leader as a ‘strong man’ who always keeps his finger on the trigger, here is a video of Kim Jong-un tearing up at a concert.
https://youtu.be/kIOK4RkpkE0
Justin Trudeau
Given Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s ‘boy next door’ image, it was not surprising to see him break down.
He found it difficult to hold back his tears at a tribute to the late Canadian rock singer-songwriter, Gord Downie.
“I thought I was going to make it through this but I’m not,” he said.
Sheila Dikshit
Closer home, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit broke down during a television interview on the 2012 gangrape victim.
Media and political analysts believed this was a way for the CM to save face after using tear gas to crack down on the mass protests that took place all over the capital.
Yogi Adityanath
The Yogi also has a ‘tough guy’ image, but back in 2007, he had broken down in Parliament, accusing the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav of targeting him.
https://youtu.be/nVZD0IUGOPI