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'What about Thoothukudi?': People slam PM Modi for tweeting on 'Fitness Challenge'

Modi has been tweeting about the 'fitness challenge' in which he was tagged by Virat Kohli but has said nothing about the events in Thoothukudi.

Written by : Monalisa Das

When Narendra Modi was in the Opposition, he was a vocal critic of then PM Manmohan Singh's silence on several issues. However, ever since Modi became the PM in 2014, he has been questioned for his selective silence on many issues.

The most recent instance is the PM's reluctance to say anything at all about the deaths of 13 civilians who were gunned down in clashes between police and those protesting against Sterlite's copper smelter in Thoothukudi earlier this week. The incidents, which have widely been called 'state sponsored murder', have drawn sharp reactions from political leaders across the country. However, PM Modi has not reacted to it in any way.

To add insult to injury, Modi has been tweeting about fitness challenges.

Amid calls demanding that the government be held accountable for its cold-blooded actions, Modi's tweet on Thursday morning has attracted the ire of social media.

Indian men's cricket team captain Virat Kohli tagged the Prime Minister, along with actor and his wife Anushka Sharma, in the 'Fitness Challenge' on Twitter.

The challenge, initiated by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, urges people to share photos and videos of how they keep themselves fit and also tag their friends in the challenge.

The PM tweeted that he has accepted the challenge and that he will be be sharing his own fitness video soon.

It did not take long for people to question Modi's priorities and his silence on the Thoothukudi killings as well as several other burning issues in the country at present. 

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has come up with his own version of the challenge, i.e. #FuelChallenge, daring the PM to reduce fuel prices, failing which, he said, the Congress will launch a nationwide agitation.

Previously, Modi's studied silence on the Kathua and Unnao rape cases where the BJP came under flak, had also been widely criticised. The international media attention finally forced the PM to acknowledge the incidents.

Meanwhile, addressing the media on Thursday, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister justified the police firing on unarmed protesters, calling it a "natural reaction".

"Some anti-social elements instigated the situation. They attacked the police. Police first used tear gas, then protesters tried to set fire to Collector's office and vans on fire. That's why the police had to resort to this. This is a natural reaction, it wasn't pre-planned,"  Edappaddi Palaniswami said.

Putting the blame squarely on “anti-social elements” and Opposition parties for Tuesday’s violence, EPS claimed that they had instigated the people of Thoothukudi to give a bad name to the government.

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