[WATCH VIDEO] Congress VP Rahul Gandhi Reveals Who Tweets For Him And Assam Minister Takes A Crack
Right from the inception of social media has come into power, people use it as a strong medium or tool to voice their opinions. Not only common people, even politicians, celebrities are active on few micro-blogging sites. While some choose these platforms only to stick to promoting something and posting their photos, others take it a serious place to express their views regarding social issues.
Coming to the Congress party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, There is a new vigor in his Twitter presence, and many users have wondered who is driving his social media strategy. And the 47-year-old politician has an answer to this question with a twist. He took a dig on Sunday at critics questioning the sudden surge in his popularity on Twitter with a sarcastic tweet “confessing” that his pet dog was behind the posts.
Beneath the cuteness overloaded and sarcasm of Rahul Gandhi’ tweet where he posted a video clip of his pet dog to apparently troll those who mock his Twitter wit, lay a fascinating subtext of condescension, deep entitlement and naked arrogance.
In the short 14-second clip, Rahul Gandhi is heard giving instructions to ‘Pidi’, his pet who obeys the master in standing up on its haunches and doing a paw-some Namaste. And the pet shows admirable obedience, training, and skill in balancing a crumb on its nose.
Rahul Gandhi has been mixing humor and sarcasm more often to pack a new punch in his social media campaigns. “People (have) been asking who tweets for this guy… I’m coming clean, it’s me… Pidi. I’m way cooler than him. Look what I can do with a tweet… oops… a treat!” Rahul tweeted.
Watch The Video Here:
Ppl been asking who tweets for this guy..I’m coming clean..it’s me..Pidi..I’m way 😎 than him. Look what I can do with a tweet..oops..treat! pic.twitter.com/fkQwye94a5
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 29, 2017
The video soon grabbed considerable comment and saw BJP minister in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma responding that he recognized the pet that Rahul kept feeding when Sarma sought to discuss political issues before the assembly polls in 2016.
“Sir who knows him better than me. Still, remember you busy feeding biscuits to him while we wanted to discuss urgent Assam’s issues (sic),” Sarma said in a tweet.
Sir @OfficeOfRG,who knows him better than me.Still remember you busy feeding biscuits 2 him while We wanted to discuss urgent Assam’s issues https://t.co/Eiu7VsuvL1
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 29, 2017
The reaction from Congress spokespersons left little space for doubt about the way Nehru-Gandhi family wields power and demands fealty.
Sarmaji, a dog always teaches loyalty despite all odds,am sure every time u see Pidi u are reminded of ur own treachery. That’s y the hate? https://t.co/j2iagEENZI
— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) October 29, 2017
Gandhi’s upswing points to a shift in his online communication strategy. “We became more timely in terms of reactions, speaking on issues that were hot topics at the moment, and getting more of our members online,” said Divya Spandana, the Congress’s social media head since this July. And the reports say Gandhi gained more than one million followers between July and September.
However, some media reports also claimed that the surge in the number of followers and retweets of Rahul’s Twitter handle was artificially generated by bots with Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristics as they were routinely re-tweeting the Congress VP’s tweets.