'The government's official communications agency on Friday apologised for releasing a digitally altered image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Tamil Nadu the previous day, saying the photo it had issued as a "merger of two pictures". In the 24 hours since, social media users have had a field day putting out their own hilarious memes of the situation. Prime Minister Modi had flown to Chennai on Thursday evening to assess the situation in the flood-swamped city and surrounding areas.
'The magnetism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not spared audiences turning out for Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. A 5.30-minute video singing the praises of the prime minister and the Centre's achievements is playing during the interval of Sooraj Barjatya's latest movie at several multiplex chains across the country, including PVR Cinemas and Inox. The video is the brainchild of Central Board of Film Certification chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani. It is an expanded version of his recent Mera Desh Hai Mahaan, Mera Desh Hai Jawan.
'A former spin doctor for Tony Blair has admitted that he was paid an undisclosed sum to write a biography of Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister. Lance Price, a former BBC journalist who worked for Mr Blair during his first term, publicised The Modi Effect saying that of "all the elections I have ever reported or taken part in, nothing compares to Narendra Modi's". In fact, Price has admitted, he had never heard of Mr Modi, who was elected in May last year, until he was approached by one of the Indian prime minister’s associates.
'Passionate crowds of protesters greeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with loud slogans and a sea of placards upon his arrival at San Jose’s SAP Center for a carefully choreographed Silicon Valley “community reception.” The posters, chants, and surprise banner drop challenged the Modi PR team’s attempts to whitewash the controversial politician’s record. The protest was the culmination of a month-long campaign to educate Silicon Valley leaders and elected officials about Modi’s troubling human rights record.
'A website that books publicity notices estimates the cost of a single day's displays at Rs one crore and 30 lakhs. For the past week, Delhiites have been waking up to rather startling ads by Bharatiya Janata Party. The advertisements, plastered across half the front pages of major dailies, have been mocking Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and the Congress for misleading the people of Delhi.
'Use of paper cups with photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah to serve tea to the passengers of Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi train has created furore, prompting Indian Railway to order probe into the matter. "Prima facie it seems to a mistake but the matter is being probed. If it is proved that it was done delebrately then action would be taken against the guilty," Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway Neeraj Sharma said.
'The 2014 general elections were estimated to be India’s most expensive—and the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) broke the bank on the way to its biggest ever election victory. In all, the BJP spent Rs714.28 crore ($115 million) on the 2014 general election campaign, according to the contribution report it filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Jan 12.
"The $1 million-plus event at the Madison Square Garden for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had to overcome all kinds of legal and logistical wrangling to be pulled off. It's taken the might of volunteers, non-resident Indian (NRI) businessmen of all kinds, religious Hindu leaders, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadre and leaders in the US and India to make sure the 19,000-capacity event on Sunday is a resounding success.
"Sanitation workers became litterbugs on Thursday when they threw plastic bottles and crumpled pieces of paper outside the Red Fort so a Union Minister could get his photo-op while picking up the garbage. This staged littering and cleanliness drive was organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
"One hundred days of Modi Sarkar and the feedback from much of the thinking class has been gushing. Nothing extraordinary here because governments have traditionally been allowed a grace period when they are not judged. And there is bound to be more than the usual euphoria when the government in question comes in with a full majority, interpreted as a clear mandate to break free from the past.
