PM Modi urges supporters to remove 'Modi Ka Parivar' suffix from social media handles

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged his supporters to remove "Modi Ka Parivar" suffix from their social media handles, saying the election win of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has effectively conveyed the message it was meant to.

BJP members and his supporters in huge numbers had identified themselves on social media platforms as "Modi Ka Parivar" (Modi's family) in March following opposition leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's barb at him for having no family of his own. The prime minister had retorted that the people of India are his family.

In a post on X, Modi said on Tuesday, "Through the election campaign, people across India added 'Modi Ka Parivar' to their social media as a mark of affection towards me. I derived a lot of strength from it. The people of India have given the NDA a majority for the third consecutive time, a record of sorts, and have given us the mandate to keep working for the betterment of our nation."

He added, "With the message of all of us being one family having been effectively conveyed, I would once again thank the people of India and request that you may now remove 'Modi Ka Parivar' from your social media properties. The display name may change, but our bond as one Parivar striving for India's progress remains strong and unbroken."

Modi also changed his profile and header photos on his X handle. The latest pictures are of his first day in office and his government's swearing-in ceremony for the third term.