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HomePoliticsBirthday greetings for Modi reveal India's changing political equations

Birthday greetings for Modi reveal India’s changing political equations

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Some estranged BJP allies were missing from Modi’s Twitter timeline. There was a lot to read in the Prime Minister’s replies too.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 68th birthday showed how political realignments tend to influence personal equations as well. While some estranged allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose not to wish Modi on Twitter, some potential partners did.

Former BJP ally Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), who has wished Modi each year over the past several years, gave it a miss this time.

In 2017, for instance, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister had tweeted, “Birthday greetings to Sri @narendramodi ji. May you achieve every goal and vision for our Mother India.”

The parties had a bitter break-up in March after Naidu accused the Modi government of reneging on its promise to grant special status to Andhra, which he claims was hit hard revenue-wise after the 2014 bifurcation.

Even so, PM Modi wished Naidu on his birthday this April.


Also read: The grand opposition alliance will not work because it doesn’t have a Modi


Similarly, another estranged ally, former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), too did not wish Modi.

Mehbooba became an active Twitter user only on 25 September last year, after the PM’s birthday. However, between then and the collapse of their alliance this June, she had tweeted warmly about the PM on many occasions.

She had also greeted former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 93rd birthday in December last year. A month before the BJP’s split with the PDP brought the J&K government down, the PM had tweeted his wishes to Mehbooba on her birthday in May.

In Tamil Nadu, while M.K. Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), in opposition in the state, did wish Modi, members of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — a party that has been close to the BJP — desisted.

The alliance question in Tamil Nadu continues to remain open for the BJP, and the symbolism of the birthday greetings has left many questions in its wake.

Message in PM’s replies

Meanwhile, the PM’s replies on Twitter weren’t devoid of political undertones either.

As wishes poured in Monday, the PM began by replying to social media influencers, commoners and opposition leaders.

While many BJP ministers and leaders wished him, in a departure from the past, the PM chose to reply only to party president Amit Shah, finance minister Arun Jaitley, home minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

It was only in the evening that Modi replied to BJP chief ministers, and, in doing so, he followed a pattern. He ensured the responses to the chief ministers of poll-bound states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh — went beyond a basic “thank you” and had more political meaning in them.

All three states will face elections at the end of this year, where the BJP will face a major challenge in anti-incumbency. The PM’s replies, therefore, included a line motivating all three CMs.

While Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was told that the large attendance at his Jan Ashirwad Yatra reflected the faith people had in his governance, Rajasthan’s Vasundhara Raje was lauded for the “wonderful response” to her Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra.

And Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh was congratulated on the success of the Atal Vikas Yatra, and the “commendable development strides” the state has made under his leadership.


Also read: Narendra Modi’s 2019 headache will come from within the BJP and the NDA coalition


The select few

The PM’s replies held symbolism even on the diplomatic front. For instance, he replied to all three Sri Lankan leaders — President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as well as former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Last week, Modi met Rajapaksa as he visited Delhi, even though protocol did not demand it, sending out a veiled message to the dispensation in Colombo that India will continue to engage with political actors not currently in office at the highest level, thus keeping its options open.

While several sportspersons wished the PM, only a few got replies. Even in the movie industry, only a chosen few got replies. This includes actor Anupam Kher, a BJP supporter; director Madhur Bhandarkar; singer Kailash Kher, who has sung the theme song of the Swachh Bharat mission; and, in a surprise move, filmmaker Karan Johar.

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