New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s attempt to flip the Howdy, Modi! event in his party’s favour backfired after people on social media pointed out he was wrong on several facts, including the spelling of Indira Gandhi’s name.
Tharoor Monday night posted a photo of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi waving to a crowd from a convertible. In his tweet, he said the father-and-daughter duo had managed to garner a cheering crowd without any publicity fanfare, making a guarded reference to the Howdy, Modi! event in Houston.
“Nehru & India Gandhi in the US in 1954. Look at the hugely enthusiastic spontaneous turnout of the American public, without any special PR campaign, NRI crowd management or hyped-up media publicity,” he posted.
Nehru & India Gandhi in the US in 1954. Look at the hugely enthusiastic spontaneous turnout of the American public, without any special PR campaign, NRI crowd management or hyped-up media publicity. pic.twitter.com/aLovXvCyRz
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 23, 2019
Soon enough, people began pointing out that the photograph wasn’t taken in the United States but was from Nehru’s visit to what was then USSR. People also pointed out that the year was 1956 and not 1954.
https://twitter.com/JyotiSNK/status/1176192464291450880?s=20
That is Moscow 1956. Totally arranged adulation
— R Jagannathan (@TheJaggi) September 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/rashtravaadi100/status/1176370140004225024?s=20
Tharoor, who is otherwise known for his exemplary vocabulary, was also trolled for misspelling Indira as India.
https://twitter.com/chatpataka100/status/1176193239902277632?s=20
India Gandhi ?
Can u explain what he waana say? https://t.co/uw4TpnzGGQ
— Chal Jhootha (@Reborn2ndtime_) September 23, 2019
"India Gandhi"? @ShashiTharoor presents photograph of #Nehru in Soviet Union as image from USA to downplay success of "Howdy Modi"! #ShashiTharoor https://t.co/0ARzcpvLac pic.twitter.com/8r1FpMFUnR
— Joydeep Roy (@IjoydeepRoy) September 23, 2019
The senior Congress leader later posted a clarification saying even though he got the place and year of the picture wrong, it did not “alter” the message, “the fact is that former PMs also enjoyed popularity abroad”.
I am told this picture (forwarded to me) probably is from a visit to the USSR and not the US. Even if so, it still doesn't alter the message: the fact is that former PMs also enjoyed popularity abroad. When @narendramodi is honoured, @PMOIndia is honoured; respect is for India. https://t.co/9KQMcR0zTD
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 23, 2019
Tharoor, though, wasn’t the only Congress person to get these facts wrong. The online magazine of the Indian Youth Congress, Yuva Desh, also shared the photograph, stating it was from a visit to the United States in 1954.
1954 में जब नेहरू जी अमेरिका गए थे तब की ये तस्वीर है, तब ना कोई पीआर एजेंसी काम कर रही थी इनके लिए, ना कोई ब्रांडिंग हो…
Yuva Desh यांनी वर पोस्ट केले सोमवार, २३ सप्टेंबर, २०१९
So, when did Nehru and Indira visit USSR?
People’s claims that the photo was taken in 1956 also turns out to be incorrect.
According to fact-checking news websites Boomlive and Alt News, the picture is from Nehru’s state visit to the USSR in 1955. Indira Gandhi had accompanied her father at the time.
The two had visited Magnitogorsk, an industrial city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia.
Both websites cited several local sources to confirm the year. In an article published in 2015, The Hindu also spoke about Nehru’s visit to the USSR in 1955 as it looked at the significance of the state visit for India at the time.
Also read: US Army didn’t play the Indian national anthem at ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event
That was no spelling mistake. Like all family retainers, Tharoor was just parroting an ingrained belief “Indira is India, India is Indira”.
I was going to say that, but Vish beat me to it !