One year of Modi govt: Social media a divided house

Even as the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government is set to complete a year in office on Tuesday, all social media platforms are discussing the highs and lows of the year, and assessing how effective the regime has so far been. 

It was on May 26 last year that the government took charge after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s landslide victory in the general elections. It was the first time in three decades that a single party had won a majority of seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

A year on, there seems to be a mixed mood among people in general, and this is reflected in their social media posts and activities.

Social media by their very nature are polarised in most cases. Twitter and Facebook alike seem divided in two sides. While one side is lauding Modi’s style of governance, his economic policies and his foreign policy, the other is complaining about unfulfilled promises and neglect of domestic issues.

A Facebook event called ‘An Evening of Protest: One Year of Modi Government’, at New Delhi’s Urdu Ghar on May 23, has seen participation of some 200 people. These people are protesting the Modi governance through songs, plays and speeches. 

In contrast, a week-long campaign ‘Jan Kalyan Parv’ (people’s welfare festival) is on to mark the anniversary. Modi will be addressing a rally in Mathura on Tuesday to commemorate the completion of a year.

Some of the popular hashtags on Twitter prasing the Modi army and its efforts to turn “Scam India” into “Skill India” are #Modiwinsheart, #OneyearofModigovernment, #Oneyearofsalute.

Also, it is difficult to ignore the social media outpour on the government’s decision to ban beef. While some are hailing the move, many more are pegging the step to the Hindutva angle and criticising the government for its extreme behaviour.

The most popular doubts that social media users seem to express is Prime Minister Modi’s relation to the Gujarat riots of 2002. Also of note are criticism of Modi’s frequent foreign visits and prolonged absence from the domestic political scene.

The return of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, after a sabbatical of about 45 days, is being hailed by many as the beginning of a successful opposition to the Modi monopoly. However, if social media is anything to go by, Modi still stands strong, after a catalytic year.

Here are some popular tweets that capture the general social-media mood on the Modi government’s first year in office: 

Modi promised that all cases against MPs&MLAs will be disposed in 1year. Year passed & there is no mention of this promise #OneYearOfModi

— Yogesh Mandhani (@yogeshmandhani) May 22, 2015