Modi hugs ‘friend’ as Israel PM arrives in Delhi , Cong. mocks “hugplomacy”
NEW DELHI : Congress Party on Sunday made fun of what it called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s `hugplomacy` in a meme video on Twitter, which evoked an equally sharp response from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Congress mocked PM Modi by posting a video on its official Twitter handle with a hashtag `#hugplomacy`.The video was posted shortly after he received his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu at an airport here.
In the video, the Congress apparently ridiculed PM Modi`s ways of hugging with several world leaders by describing them with comic tags along with gifs. Reacting to it, the BJP said sarcastically that the video showed the “new” thinking of the grand old party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.
“The video is absolutely despicable. It is making fun of the Prime Minister of India that too with the other global leaders of the countries with whom we have good relations. It must be condemned in every possible manner,” senior BJP leader Nalin Kohli told. His party colleague and spokesperson Sambit Patra too said the entire world is watching as what is happening to India and Israel relationship. Is this the way main Opposition party of India behaves?” he asked.
The Israeli Premier, accompanied by his wife Sara and a 130-member delegation from various sectors, arrived here on Sunday. He was received by PM Narendra Modi upon his arrival.The two sides are expected to sign several agreements in various sectors including cyber, agriculture and defence.
PM Narendra Modi, who broke protocol to receive his “friend” Benjamin Netanyahu at the airport in Delhi, ended the day by hosting a private dinner for him. Mr Netanyahu is in India on a six-day visit, during which the two nations hope to deepen ties in trade and defence. The Israeli PM is also expected to visit Mumbai, and PM Modi’s home state Gujarat, where the two leaders will hold a joint road show on Wednesday.
At the airport, PM Modi hugged and shook hands with Mr Netanyahu, with whom he had developed a warm rapport during his visit to Israel last year.
From the airport, the two leaders went to Teen Murti Memorial to pay homage to soldiers who died in Haifa of World War 1. The ceremony marked the formal renaming of Teen Murti Chowk as the Teen Murti Haifa Chowk, after the battle fought by Indian soldiers at the port city, which is now in Israel.
Tomorrow, Mr Netanyahu will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and hold bilateral meetings with PM Modi. On Tuesday, he will visit the Taj Mahal in Agra and then attend the “Raisina Dialogue” – a three-day annual geo-political conference. One of the stops of the Israeli leader on this visit will be in Mumbai, where he is expected to meet with Bollywood stars.
Mr Netanyahu’s visit — the first by an Israeli premier since Ariel Sharon in 2003 — is seen as an effort to build on the decision to elevate ties between the two nations to a “strategic partnership”. Israel needs large markets for its export-driven economy and has been working towards deepening ties with India and China.
New Delhi and Tel Aviv are expected to sign a number of deals that would cover various sectors, including defence, oil and gas, renewable energy, amended protocol for airports, cyber security, and co-production of films and documentaries.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, won’t hurt the ties between the two nations. Last year, 128 nations had voted against the US move. The status of Jerusalem is one of the biggest obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
