From Pidi to Pidiman, Rahul Gandhi's dog story on Twitter traces his transformation as a mass appealer

The usual dull evening on Sunday suddenly exploded with commotions on Twitter, that too from the most laid back section of the society- the politicians. And why was that so? Rahul Gandhi had shared a Tweet; nothing to do with Congress or the BJP or even Narendra Modi, but with himself.

While some were awed at his sense of humour and wit, there were others who took it too seriously and started commenting in political garbs. This is what he said: 

Ppl been asking who tweets for this guy..I'm coming clean..it's me..Pidi..I'm way 😎 than him. Look what I can do with a tweet..oops..treat! pic.twitter.com/fkQwye94a5

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 29, 2017

Interestingly, off late his Tweets have been incomparably humorous and witty, unlike his previous bland political Tweets. For instance, when Amit Shah's son hit the headline for corruption charges, he Tweeted (at his own expense):

Mitron, Shah-zade ke baare mein na bolunga na bolne doonga (note: Shahzade is something he is called by PM Narendra Modi in his speeches).

मित्रों, शाह-जादे के बारे में ना बोलूंगा, ना बोलने दूंगाhttps://t.co/y9QlHFHFHS

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 20, 2017

Laughing at his own expense indeed, but RaGa's barb could not be ignored. He is having fun with the puns we would say. Some quarters also believe that there has been a marked improvement in his oratory skills, something that has been missing in his debates and public speeches. Coming back to the present Tweet that he shared with his fan following, what exactly did he mean by the homonyms- Tweet and Treat? Did he mean, he enjoyed seeing the Tweets against him as much-awaited Treats for his intellectual property? And the way Pidi gulps it down in a jiffy could be nothing but the way Rahul Gandhi gulps down the criticism he faces every now and then. 

What does it really mean when Rahul Gandhi asks his pet to join hands (Haath jodo!). Does it mean, he takes the criticisms against him humbly and prefers to gulp them down as smoothly as Pidi does. There could be innumerable explanations to each of the instructions he gives to Pidi, but our politicians surely could have done better with their's as they laugh off at the way RaGa laughs at his own expense. 

For instance, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a hardcore Congress rebel, took a dig at Rahul Gandhi and Tweeted:

Sir @OfficeOfRG,who knows him better than me.Still remember you busy feeding biscuits 2 him while We wanted to discuss urgent Assam's issues https://t.co/Eiu7VsuvL1

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 29, 2017

 

Amit Malviya, BJP's IT cell head was more brutal in his comments against RaGa and shared a meme with Pidi riding a bicycle and Rahul Gandhi riding pillion, an indication that his dog is indeed smarter than him. 

Pidi लाओ, Congress बचाओ.. pic.twitter.com/A677QSIvah

— Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) October 29, 2017

The only one's who came to the rescue of Rahul Gandhi were National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Congress Lok Sabha MP Sushmita Dev. Abdullah said, "Anyone can make fun of others so it's refreshing to have national leaders who aren't afraid to be funny at their own expense". Dev on the other hand took a dig at Sarma saying he had promised his allegiance to Congress just a few years back. Dev shared Sarma's tweet dated June 19, 2013 that read: "I am and will be loyal to My leader Soniaji and Rahul ji and congress party. whatever may be the provocation". She also retweeted his tweet saying:

Anyone can make fun of others so it’s refreshing to have national leaders who aren’t afraid to be funny at their own expense. 😀 https://t.co/MIP8TydR8z

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 29, 2017

How long will it be before #Pidi has his own verified twitter account?

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 29, 2017

Sir Change for the better is good. Nation before a parivar (RSS) or the top job will only earn you respect. https://t.co/Xa8W57AP0Q

— Sushmita Dev (@sushmitadevmp) October 29, 2017

वक़्त बदल जाता है इंसान बदल जाते हैं;
वक़्त वक़्त पे रिश्तों के अंदाज़ बदल जाते हैं..!!

Why blame Pidi. https://t.co/URcH1bJQB6

— Sushmita Dev (@sushmitadevmp) October 29, 2017

"Waqt badal jata hai, insaan badal jate hain/ waqt, waqt pe rishto ke andaaz badal jate hain (Time changes, so do persons/ Relations' equations change along with times)...why blame Pidi."

RaGa must have enrolled himself in a course in oratorship and that must have been the reason behind his long absences from the Parliament and his frequent foreign tours. That of course is the opinion of many who have been closely watching him since 2015. For instance, his engagements with the students at Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru. According to an article by FIRSTPOST in 2015, the way Rahul Ggandhi conducted himself was pretty impressive. "Uncluttered for once", the article agreed and so did we when we heard him confiding about the homework he had been doing to meet the girls. That got us smitten already.

RaGa gaining popularity on social media

It is quite remarkable how the young leader has gained popularity on social media too, giving tight competition to Narendra Modi. Wiarnering over a million followers in just 2 months now, Rahul Gandhi, surely, is jumping steps while climbing the ladder of leadership skills. According to another article by the FIRSTPOST, not only has his Twitter handle @OfficeOfRG been far more active than before, he has openly embraced the way youngsters speak online.

Many in the opposition party, however, believe that most of his followers are fake.  What followed was a hashtag trending on Twitter #RahulBotAttack (which culminated into the Tweet that RaGa shared). The political gangwar began with the Congress leaders arguing that the authenticity of even Modi's followers could be questioned. 

All said and done, Rahul Gandhi seems to be a reformed man when it comes to his political approach. He has adopted the jargon of the youth well and is fast picking up pace with the mood and the swing of the time.