IN a surprise move, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (2) night announced that he is planning to give up his social media accounts by coming Sunday.
"This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted," Narendra Modi tweeted.
His tweet was retweeted 10,600 times and attracted 31,100 likes in just 30 minutes.
It was a mixed response from Twitterati as some expressed "shock" while some said "good move.
But, the majority wanted to know the reason behind this surprise move.
A firm believer of 'digital India', Modi is very active on social media platforms. The US president Donald Trump also praised him for his social media activities.
The Indian leader is quite famous on social media and announces crucial decisions on social platforms.
On Twitter, Modi has 53.3 million followers. He joined the platform in January 2009, when he was the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat.
Trump recently claimed that Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, said he was "Number 1" on the social network and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was second.
But, according to Twiplomacy's 2019 rankings, it's PM Modi who is first among world leaders, with more than 44.1 million followers on Facebook. Donald Trump is a distant second. (Close to 26 million.)
Modi has 35.2 million followers on Instagram and enjoys a subscriber base of 4.5 million on YouTube.
David Lammy
Seema Malhotra
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