Ahead of PM’s visit to Tamil Nadu, #GoBackModi trends on Twitter

Tamilians don’t like to mince their words. They did it the last time Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting their state. This time too they are at it. Ahead of PM Modi’s scheduled arrival in Madurai on Sunday, January 26, the hashtag #GoBackModi was trending on Twitter.

PM Modi is in Madurai in Tamil Nadu for the foundation-laying ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Most of the tweets dwell on the Prime Minister’s refusal to meet the farmers in the state who have been protesting or the victims of Cyclone Gaja which devastated the lives of more than 3 lakh people, his silence after the shooting in Thoothukudi that killed 13 persons, the faulty implementation of NEET in the state leading to the death of Anitha in 2017 and lack of LPG subsidies.

A number of tweets have added a cartoon that has an outline of Tamil Nadu with the face of late rationalist leader EVR Periyar saying "Go Back Modi". The Prime Minister, shown in a saffron jacket, is running towards a ladder lowered from a hovering chopper.

MDMK chief Vaiko has threatened that his party would stage a black flag demonstration against Modi and the BJP for “ignoring” Tamil Nadu's interests. “The demonstration is not against the AIIMS, but against Modi and his government, which is neglecting the interests of Tamil Nadu,” said Vaiko.

The PM’s visit comes amidst reports that BJP has been trying to stitch up an alliance with the ruling AIADMK in attempt to make inroads in the state where BJP has hardly been able to emerge a player. The Opposition DMK has already tied up with the Congress ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

In 2014, BJP was part of a six-party alliance comprising the DMDK, the PMK and Vaiko-led MDMK. The saffron party had won one seat and PMK another seat. However, all the five parties snapped ties with the BJP later.

Here is a look at the comments against PM Modi on Twitter

In order to counter this hashtag, the saffron party’s supporters started using #TNWelcomesModi to thank him for setting up AIIMS in Madurai. But, it hasn’t been able to shake off #GoBackModi from the No.1 position since Saturday night.

In April last year, when PM Modi had visited Chennai for the Defence Expo, #GoBackModi had trended. Protesters had let black balloons in the air then and he used a chopper to attend an event at the IIT Madras to avoid them. At the time, the centre's alleged delay in constituting the Cauvery Management Board because of the Karnataka assembly elections had triggered the anger.