Dear Indian men, Giorgia Meloni isn’t your ‘Bhabhi’. Enough with the creepy ‘Melodi’ memes

Social media comment sections are flooded with comments on Modi-Meloni's imagined relationship. In case it needs to be said, all of these comments have been made by men.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with talian PM Giorgia Meloni | ANI file photo

Italian far-Right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and our newly re-elected PM Narendra Modi are worlds apart. But for Modi’s legion of fans and supporters, they’re also in a clandestine relationship, as has been signalled through a series of glances, tweets of appreciation, and of course—the infamous hug. 

What appeared to be innocuous fascination, however, has spiralled into a strange, unmediated sexualisation of Meloni. Modi’s fans now feel a sense of ownership over Meloni. Her every interaction with world leaders is first scrutinised, mocked, and then invariably devolves into a tirade over how and why she isn’t with Modi—or more infuriatingly, how she’s ‘betraying’ him. 

The Prime Ministers met at the G7 summit. All that happened was a chaste namaste and presumable pleasantries. However, instead of being disappointed, the fandom, consistent as ever in their unwavering praise, are calling it an exhibition of Modi’s chivalry.

‘Melodi’ has spawned some of the best content the Indian internet has to offer. But undercutting this humour are deep seated shades of sexism and moralism. 

As difficult as it is to accept, Giorgia Miloni is not our collective sister-in-law, ‘Bhabhi’. This sense of proprietary might have originated in some dark, far-Right corner of the internet, but its tentacles are now everywhere. Instagram comment sections are off the wagon, flooded with those lamenting what our poor Prime Minister is going through. 

Voompla, an online media platform that largely shares Bollywood content, posted a carousel comprising 10 posts of Meloni and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the G7 summit. They’re blurry paparazzi-esque images and the caption reads: ‘why Meloni ji why?” accompanied by a broken heart emoji and a crying face. 

The outlet has 16.5 million followers on Instagram. Their playing into the bizarre Melodi fandom is a testament to how something that may have started out as mildly creepy has mutated into an acceptable and influential part of internet discourse. Anything on the duo racks up insights. 

The comments on the post talk about how Modi has been betrayed, how he’s crying, how he’s tracking down Sunak. In case it needs to be said, all of these comments have been made by men. The idea of this ill-treated, innocent lover who has been played by some cunning woman is made applicable in most contexts. But it’s also been given dangerous, ubiquitous validation on the internet, through echo chambers in which only men reside. These belief systems have now travelled far beyond obscure subreddit threads. They’re everywhere. 

Modi’s fandom, whether one cares to admit or not, is filled with incels. And what makes it more unnerving is that they aren’t treated as such. The Melodi chokehold and what it’s devolved into is evidence enough. 

Jokes aren’t just jokes

One of the triumphs of the internet is that it’s the great equaliser—no one is spared. You might think that a European world leader wouldn’t receive the same grade of sexualisation as another woman. Her exalted political, social, and cultural status in real-world scenarios would act as an insulator. But it doesn’t. She’s given the same treatment, robbed of any modicum of respect and seriousness. 

Ten days ago, Modi was elected to power in what was an astonishing verdict. Meloni was one of several world leaders who congratulated him. 

“We remain committed to deepening India-Italy ties strategic partnership which is underpinned by shared values and interests,” wrote Modi in response. The tweet has nearly 2.5 lakh likes. 

The jokes on their shared ideological commitments are far funnier, but they’re drowned out by comments on their relationship—many of which, as expected, are downright creepy. In today’s climate, jokes aren’t just jokes. They’re emblematic of something deeper.

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