NEW DELHI : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a subtle quip on President and Prime Minister of India getting “unfollowed” by the White House on Twitter saying he is “dismayed” by the move.
The official Twitter handle of the White House (@WhiteHouse) has unfollowed the verified handles of President Ram Nath Kovind (@rashtrapatibhvn) and the Prime Minister’s Office (@PMOIndia).
White House is the official residence of the President of the United States, the post held by Donald Trump. The handle posts regular updates on the Trump administration’s actions and policies and live streams press briefings done there.
According to media reports, the White House previously followed the personal Twitter handles of PM Narendra Modi, his office (PMO), President Ram Nath Kovind as well as the Indian embassy in Washington DC (@IndianEmbassyUS). With the unfollowing, the White House now follows just 13 accounts, all American individuals or American institutions. Even President Donald Trump’s personal account no longer follows PM Modi.
The White House, which has over 21 million followers, has unfollowed all Indian handles including that of the Prime Minister’s office and the Indian embassy in the US. The White House account had started following PM Modi on April 10. He became the only world leader followed by the official Twitter handle of the US administration. White House followed 19 Twitter handles at the time and all non-American accounts were Indian.
The rare move was viewed as a reflection of the bonhomie and good rapport shared by the Prime Minister and US President Donald Trump.
Among those on Twitter who had wondered about the White House’s move was Congress’s Gaurav Pandhi, a member of the party’s social media cell. “Why has White House unfollowed Prime Minister and President of India on Twitter,” he asked in several posts.
(With Agency Inputs ).
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