On Wednesday morning, Twitter India woke up to a strange hashtag trending on Twitter: #PoMoneModi. Although, it was clear from the tweets that the hashtag was meant to troll prime minister Narendra Modi, after a speech where he compared Kerala to Somalia, not many Twitterati could grasp the humour in the Malayalam phrase, a play on the famous punchline from a blockbuster Mohanlal movie released in 2000.
In Narasimham, the movie that pioneered a trend of action films centered around alpha-male heroes in Mollywood, Mohanlal twisted his handlebar moustache and told the villains with a smug smile, “Po mone, Dinesha“, which loosely translates to “Go away, son”.
The Indian prime minister got a taste of the generic Malayalee sarcasm after he compared Kerala to the African country Somalia at a BJP election rally in the State’s Kasargod district. “Infant mortality rate among the Scheduled Tribe community in Kerala is worse than Somalia,” said Modi.
Modi’s comment met with a strong backlash on social media, as Twitter and Facebook were flooded with caustic and witty tweets with the hashtag #PoMoneModi (Go away, Modi). In addition to sarcasm, news clips comparing Kerala’s achievements with that of Modi’s home state, Gujarat, were also posted.
The Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, wrote to Modi on Wednesday, saying, “Kerala’s human resources has caught the attention of the world. Yet, you compared Kerala to Somalia, [a country] that is reeling under poverty and internal strife. Is not Kerala a state in India? And is it not a shame for the Prime Minister to pronounce that a state like Somalia exists in the country?”
Here’s a sample of what Twitter is saying:
An elected PM of d Nation calls one of The best states in d country as #somalia. no wonder y evry1 s questioning his edu degree.#PoMoneModi
— WithRG (@withRG) 11 May 2016
Modi hates #Kerala because its achievements are real and not merely photoshopped! #PoMoneModi
— Jay Ambadi (@jay_ambadi) 10 May 2016
#PoMoneModi You mess with keralites and what you get is a trending hashtag lifted from a dialogue from our beloved star Mohanlal’s movie 😀
— A Delhi Dame (@ADelhiDame) 11 May 2016
Insult from an Ignoramus = Praise from a Genius !!
Amazing Ignorance !!@anishkwt @wilson_vanaja #PoMoneModi pic.twitter.com/Y68qfQx9zf— Geet Varun (@geetv79) May 10, 2016
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