When Modi Wanted ‘Mor’

While BJP leaders were ‘captivated’ by images of the prime minister strolling with peacocks, his detractors were puzzled by the photoshoot’s inappropriate timing.

New Delhi: Narendra Modi’s excursion with India’s national bird set off a flood of effusive tweets from those supporting him. While most BJP politicians simply retweeted the Prime Minister’s tweet, some added their own flourish.

Hardeep Singh Puri, Union minister for housing & urban affairs, commented saying the ‘nation’s leader with the national bird’ is an example of how we can peacefully coexist with every living being.

Piyush Goyal, the minister of railways and commerce & industry, said that Modi’s relationship with the peacock spoke to the bonds between man and nature. But apparently the minister does not intend to forge any bonds with non-Hindi speakers.

BJP MP and Union minister Giriraj Singh extolled the many virtues implicit in the picture.


Priti Gandhi, self-confessed national in-charge of BJP Mahila Morcha’s social media, considers the ‘love for all living creatures’ the most notable attribute of a man.

The BJP’s national spokesperson also extolled Modi’s attachment to nature, calling the scene ‘manmohak’ (captivating).

Ramesh Chander Kaushik, MP from Haryana, echoed the sentiment.


Dr Satya Pal Singh, MP from UP, connected it to the principle of non-violence, while also pointing out that animals and birds understand human wishes.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union minister of minority affairs, tweeting a photo of the prime minister with a peacock, said that India is proud of Modi.

Meanwhile, critics pointed out that this exercise came at an inappropriate time given India’s various crises ‒ a recent increase in COVID-19 numbers, with 3 million recorded cases as of Sunday, a lack of jobs and students protesting against exams during the lockdown.