Dismayed at White House unfollowing of PM, President: Rahul Gandhi

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 29

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has sought an explanation from the Foreign Office after the official Twitter handle of the US President unfollowed President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I’m dismayed by the unfollowing of our President and PM by the White House. I urge the Ministry of External Affairs to take note,” he said in a tweet.

The White House Twitter handle had started following handles of PM Modi, Prime Minister’s Office, President of India, the Indian Embassy in the US and the US Embassy in India. It reduced the number of accounts it was following from 19 to 13 on Wednesday. In neither case did it provide an explanation.

All its recently-followed Indian handles were among those unfollowed but accounts of the Indian Embassy in the US and the US Embassy in India were among the select group of 13 it retained.

The following and the unfollowing has taken place during a bumpy time in Indo-US ties which began with Trump warning India of retaliation if it did not lift the ban on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) which he said could be a “game changer” in the battle against Covid. After Delhi decided to supply HCQ to over 100 countries including the US, Trump thanked India and said the “gesture would not be forgotten.’’