Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday night committed a huge protocol gaffe causing him considerable embarrassment.
Upon arrival in the Russian capital Moscow, Modi was to take the guard of honour, which started with the playing of Indian national anthem.
However, as required by the protocol, Modi didn’t stand in attention until the completion of the national anthem and he kept walking.
It took two local officials’ intervention to remind him that he needed to stand. One official was seen pulling the prime minister holding his hand.
This will be seen as a huge lapse by Modi as standing in attention during the national anthem is a common knowledge and for him to commit this gaffe at a foreign soil is even more embarrassing.
BJP supporters had hung, drawn and quartered Indian Vice President, Hamid Ansari, in January this year when he did not salute during the national anthem calling him anti national even though saluting during the playing of national anthem is not part of protocol.
Social media users were quick to react with most mocking and criticisng the prime minister. Within minutes of this being reported, the hashtag #ModiInsultsNationalAnthem had become the top twitter trend.
Modiji kept walking wen NA was being playd.
Had Shah Rukh Khan done the same,bhakts wud hav sent him pak by now? #ModiInsultsNationalAnthem— Lavish Mall (@LavishMall) December 23, 2015
Clearly remember that recently a family was kicked out of the theatre for not standing for the National Anthem #ModiInsultsNationalAnthem
— Abhishek V (@Abhicrazy59) December 23, 2015
Thank god Modi was not in an Indian cinema hall. Oh wait, i forgot, he is not a muslim. #ModiInsultsNationalAnthem.
— Name cannot be blank (@prateek_world) December 23, 2015
https://twitter.com/abhi6272/status/679756853031522304
Here are some examples;
Foreign tour makes him so crazy that he forgets everything !! LOL#ModiInsultsNationalAnthem
@RahulBal2212 https://t.co/IKAF3GTxHN— Rajeev (@Rajeev_Sahu) December 23, 2015
#ModiInsultsNationalAnthem Modi spends lot of time overseas than in India, so might have forgotten how our national anthem sounds
— rajennair (@rajennair) December 23, 2015
It's okay .He is the PM. We have issues only when comman man does these kind of acts in a movie hall. #ModiInsultsNationalAnthem
— Pardesi (@Ohhsome_) December 23, 2015
https://twitter.com/ShirishKunder/status/679702935287259136
PM Modi insults National Anthem.His love for cameras trumps his sense of nationalism. #ModiInsultsNationalAnthem https://t.co/muCa5UxNBb
— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) December 23, 2015
This @KushalT2803 made so much noise when Amisha Patel didn't get up for Anthem, now silent when #ModiInsultsNationalAnthem
— Sir Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhaqat) December 23, 2015
https://twitter.com/RotduBhakt/status/679697615613726721
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