Twitterati went into a tizzy with funny tweets before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation speculating whether it would be about Emergency, another surgical strike, bringing back Dawood Ibrahim or killing Masood Azhar.
As the designated hour of noon came and went, jokes on Twitter gathered strength. As time slowed to a tedious crawl, imagination hurriedly took wing.
With memories of that fateful November 8, 2016 evening, when Modi announced the demonetisation of high value currency notes still afresh, jokes about people running to the ATM and counting cash started doing the rounds.
The news of Modi’s surprise address came from his personal Twitter handle at 11.23 am. Within minutes, the tweet went viral and in an hour the tweet had garnered 20,663 retweets, 57,674 likes and 15,000 comments.
Tweeting in both Hindi and English, Modi said, “I would be addressing the nation around 11.45 am - 12 noon with an important message. Do watch the address on television, radio or social media.”
This twitter message made Twitterati crazy. The announcement from the PM comes a month after the Balakot airstrikes in Pakistan by the Indian Air Force and days before polling for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
As the appointed hour came and went with no sign of the Prime Minister on their screens, debate intensified -- in homes and offices, buses and metro trains, on Twitter and television channels. Speculation about a possible security-related announcement gained traction when some channels reported that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had gone into a huddle at the Prime Minister’s residence. The electronic media or TV anchors heightened the suspense when they repeatedly insisted that the Prime Minister cannot make any policy announcement when the model code of conduct was in force for the election. While TV presenters worked themselves into a frenzy over what message the Prime Minister could possibly give, people had existential concerns on mind.
The surprise tweet led many to speculate on the important message with former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying, “Modi is going to declare results of the general elections.” One twitter user said, “Are you banning 2000 Rupees note ? One Twitter user, said, “Another #Demonetisation? Did they catch Masood Azhar or Dawood? Are we taking over Pakistan? OMG I am #anxious now.”
One twitter user said: “Another #Demonetisation? Did they catch Masood Azhar or Dawood? Are we taking over Pakistan? OMG I am #anxious now,” Another Twitter handle responded with a meme that said, “Pal bhar theher jaao, dil ye sambhal jaaye”. “ I was going to the ATM... Just turned back. Now buying stuff I don’t need with any remaining cash I have Cheers #modi #ModiHaiToMumkinHai #Demonetisation wala feeling #politics”, tweeted Shahenshah (@Shhahenshah). “Dawood arrested brought back? Hafiz Saeed or Masood Azhar eliminated?#PMtoaddressnation,” added social media user, Sagar Rai.
“#PMModi ji is going to address the nation today. I am already at the ATM,” said a user Amir Pathan.
“#PMModi’s announcement to address the nation just tested Imran Khan’s BP for a while,” read the caption. “Congress has already sent a delegation to Election Commission to complain model code violation, Rahul preparing for Press Conference #PM to address the nation,” another user tweeted.
The address finally started at 12.25 pm, and social media users bombarded Twitter with their theories while they waited. Among them was former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who tweeted, “He’s declaring the results of the Lok Sabha elections. #JustSaying.” Congress president Rahul Gandhi also tweeted “Well done DRDO, extremely proud of your work. I would also like to wish the PM a very happy World Theatre Day.”
Taking a dig at the PM, one user said, ‘’Now some are saying that PM is about to tell the ending of Avengers End Game.”
Pictures of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi addressing the country to announce the imposition of Emergency were also circulating on the microblogging site.
PM Modi, however, managed to really surprise his skeptics when he announced about India registering itself as a space power and the resounding success of Mission Shakti.
PM Modi said that India has shot down a low orbit satellite, demonstrating its space warfare capability. PM Modi said India had demonstrated anti-satellite missile capability by shooting down a live satellite, describing it as a rare achievement that puts the country in an exclusive club of space super powers. “With this, India has registered itself as a space power,” he said.
“In the journey of every nation there are moments that bring utmost pride and have a historic impact on generations to come. One such moment is today,” he said in an unprecedented broadcast to the nation on television, radio and social media.
Earlier in the day, the Cabinet Committee on Security met at the Prime Minister’s residence, setting off further speculation.