Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai, Tamil Nadu today. He will also inaugurate super-speciality blocks at medical colleges in Rajaji, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli. However, just hours before PM Modi’s visit to Madurai on Sunday, a war of hashtag started on Twitter between opposition DMK and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with hashtags #GoBackModi and #TNWelcomesModi trending the most on social media.
Most of the tweets with hashtag ‘Go Back Modi’ demonstrated people’s anger over gaja cyclone and government’s passive actions to compensate for the losses. Moreover, people tweeted with Modi cartoons to show their dissatisfaction with BJP government.
Many of the tweets deriding the Prime Minister include a cartoon which has an outline of Tamil Nadu and that face of late rationalist leader EVR Periyar saying ‘Go Back Modi’, while PM Modi, who is shown wearing a saffron jacket, can be seen running towards a suspended ladder from a helicopter.
Democracy
Equality
Brotherhood
Freedom
Refuse
Of Brahmanism
Patukavalane!
RSSS’s stooge
Go back !!#GobackModi pic.twitter.com/XG60GdM46w— Malaravan (@arthurkumar) January 27, 2019
Do You think We tamilians Are fool??Mr.Modi I think now only u got Eyes to see Tamilnadu..where were u During Horrible Ghaja Cyclone Hit parts Of TN???#GoBackModi
— Dr.Abrar Vet (@VetAbrar) January 27, 2019
#GoBackSadistModi #GoBackModi never cared to visit during gaja cyclone ,never cared about TN farmers when they are protesting in Dehli,accepting Virat Kohli’s fitness challenge when there was open air shootout in Thoothukudi and now for what f-ing you come here
— IamAjay24 (@amazinglyAjay) January 27, 2019
However, there were a series of tweets welcoming Modi to Madurai as well. The BJP supporters are said to have popularised the hashtags praising the Prime Minister, such as ‘TN Welcomes Modi’ and ‘Madurai Thanks Modi’.
#TNWelcomesModi
Join hands together to end gender discrimination. Let us help PM @narendramodi make Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao a success— Aarthiart (@Aarthiart1) January 27, 2019
The tweets critical of the Prime Minister reportedly mostly reflected the state’s “anger” over the Centre’s alleged failure in providing help to people affected by the Cyclone Gaja that caused destruction and loss of life in the region last year.
