{"id":356603,"date":"2025-09-17T15:40:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T10:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/?p=356603"},"modified":"2025-09-17T17:18:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T11:48:26","slug":"pm-modi-75-global-cheers-amid-unemployment-political-barbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/pm-modi-75-global-cheers-amid-unemployment-political-barbs\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Modi @ 75\u2014global cheers amid unemployment\/political barbs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The mix of warm wishes and sharp satire encapsulates the complex reality of India\u2019s political landscape, say analysts<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PM in Dhar, Photo courtesy PIB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On his 75th birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received an outpouring of greetings from around the globe, underscoring his significant influence on the world stage. US President Donald Trump personally called to commend Modi\u2019s leadership while Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described him as an inspiration to millions. Tech visionary Bill Gates shared a heartfelt video message praising India\u2019s progress under him while industrial giants Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani lauded his transformative leadership. Even figures from the entertainment world, including actor-politician Pawan Kalyan and Bollywood star Aamir Khan\u2014who had previously voiced concerns about intolerance in India\u2014extended their wishes, marking a rare moment of public unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domestically, the occasion also brought political barbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Congress party used the milestone to launch a veiled attack on Modi\u2019s alleged ties with tycoon Gautam Adani. Using the  hashtag #MyModiStory, Congress released an AI-generated video featuring a character resembling Adani speaking in Hindi with a Gujarati accent, claiming Modi\u2019s unwavering loyalty and access to favors: \u201cFactories, lands, tenders, deals \u2014 Modi got it done in my name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the sharp digital onslaught, senior Congress leaders chose a more reserved tone. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi posted a brief birthday wish, while Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote: \u201cBest wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and long life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PM Modi\u2019s 75th birthday also sparked reflection and criticism amid growing public concerns. Persistent challenges such as unemployment, particularly among India\u2019s youth, remained front and center. Activists and opposition groups seized the day to highlight economic concerns, sometimes dubbing it \u201cUnemployment Day\u201d to emphasize the urgent need for job creation and reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the political discourse are familiar satirical jabs that have become staples of India\u2019s vibrant political culture. Terms like \u201cJumla Divas\u201d (Empty Promise Day), \u201cFeku Divas\u201d (Liar Day), and \u201cVote Chor Divas\u201d (Vote Thief Day) are commonly used by critics to underscore perceived broken promises, electoral manipulation, and unfulfilled commitments, reflecting frustrations of those who feel that despite Modi\u2019s grand rhetoric and ambitious campaigns, key challenges such as unemployment and corruption remain unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The mix of warm wishes and sharp satire encapsulates the complex reality of India\u2019s political landscape, say analysts On his 75th birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received an outpouring of greetings from around the globe, underscoring his significant influence on the world stage. US President Donald Trump personally called to commend Modi\u2019s leadership while Italy\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":356604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,1801],"tags":[15700,16089],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356603"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356603"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356607,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356603\/revisions\/356607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/356604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}