It was her birthday, and the 107-year-old had a wish. She wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi, the 47-year-old chief of Congress. Her grand-daughter, who tweeted the conversation, also reported why.
Her tweet was accompanied by a photograph of the birthday girl, and was tagged to the twitter handle of Rahul Gandhi.
Today my grandmother turned 107. Her one wish. To meet @OfficeOfRG Rahul Gandhi ! I asked her why? She whispers … He’s handsome ! pic.twitter.com/k3wUaSMKfE
— Dipali Sikand (@SikandDipali) December 25, 2017
Within hours, the tweet got a response. And it was not from Pidi, Mr Gandhi’s pet dog.
The Congress chief had signed the little message, conveying his wishes and a “big hug”.
Dear Dipali, Please wish your beautiful grandmother a very happy birthday and a merry Xmas. Please also give her a big hug from me. Best, Rahul. https://t.co/lcp8NUa8Di
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 25, 2017
Later in the evening, Ms Sikand tweeted another bit of news. Mr Gandhi, she said, had called and wished her grandmother. Her tweet read:
And as if this was not enough @OfficeOfRG Mr.Gandhi called and personally wished my Nani!! This is #TrueHumaness. Thank you all of you for the blessings for her . Each one of them matter. https://t.co/ftvZ1pmhsJ
— Dipali Sikand (@SikandDipali) December 25, 2017
Mr Gandhi has been a relatively new entrant to Twitter compared to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a section of his ministers. But his barrage of sharp tweets has created a stir. In a post directed at his detractors, the 47-year-old had claimed his pet dog Pidi was responsible for the tweets.
In his tweets, Mr Gandhi has taken digs at the BJP, connected with various leaders and on occasion revealed his interests – like the time he had released photos of himself practicing Aikido, a form of Japanese martial arts.
Reaching out on social media — for which union minister Sushma Swaraj has received much respect and affection from the people — is a first for the leader, who took charge of the Congress recently from his mother Sonia Gandhi.
