Today's press in #Dubai. NaMo NaMo NaMo #ModiInUAE pic.twitter.com/QYTlF1tr0x — Bharat Prajapati (@BharatP60214370) August 17, 2015
Currently on a standalone two-day bilateral visit to the United Arab Emirates – the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years – Modi arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday expecting to boost bilateral ties with the Arab world and hoping to see the UAE loosen its purse strings in favour of investments in India.
Also on Modi’s agenda was wooing the Indian diaspora that constitutes about 30% of the population of UAE and send home more than US $13 billion annually. Apart from the Indians, his eyes were also set on the $800 billion sovereign fund that Abu Dhabi holds solely for investment projects.
Temple and mosque
While trying to achieve these ends, Modi ended up convincing the UAE to sanction land for building a temple in Abu Dhabi, the first in the city. Modi thanked the UAE leadership for the step and called it a “landmark decision”.
He also visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque in Abu Dhabi where he clicked selfies with UAE leaders and then proceeded to visit a labour camp in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi where he interacted with over 200 workers and enquired about their wages and working conditions.
On Monday, he is expected to address the Indian diaspora in a huge gathering at a cricket stadium in Dubai where 40,000 people can be seated but 15,000 more will be accommodated outside where the speech will be telecasted on screens.
Dubai Stadium is all set in tri-color to host #NamoInDubai #ModiInUAE pic.twitter.com/zwWDBIhAz5
— Sanjay Rathod (@Sanjay_Vis) August 17, 2015
The move was hailed as a strategic win for Modi and a step forward for the Islamic nation. Subsequently, minute details and goings-on of Modi’s visit promptly made headlines in the UAE press and even the external affairs ministry found time to boast about the “wall to wall” coverage.
'Elevating the #IndiaUAE partnership.' Wall to wall media coverage in the UAE Press on PM @narendramodi's visit. pic.twitter.com/VeJVJEjC9e — Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) August 17, 2015
For the first time, though, Indian newspapers seemed lukewarm over Modi’s visit abroad. Headlines on Monday in the country’s press were hardly related to UAE and Modi even as many papers completely skipped the happenings at UAE and focussed on things back home instead, with only the Indian Express giving space to the visit.
This didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter and there was some anger against the news media for not giving Modi’s visit the prominence people think it deserves.
Front page of TOI. Can any one spot Modi in UAE? And they killed journalism .....#ModiInUAE pic.twitter.com/tZkxcuagf5
— Veena Bhakta Kamat (@Veenabhakta) August 17, 2015
However, social media found enough time away from the serious to focus on the sardonic. As soon as the trip began, photoshopped images, memes, carefully crafted humour and barbs on the PM started doing the rounds on the microblogging site Twitter which always manages to find much to say about everything.
Here’s a selection:
#ModiInUAE pic.twitter.com/H260B4U708
— Tajinder Pal S Bagga (@tajinderbagga) August 17, 2015
After #SelfieWithHabibis , let's head to the Shawarma station. #ModiInUAE pic.twitter.com/urN2Y7MvHh
— PS (@pranavsapra) August 17, 2015
We will see a temple in UAE before we see the one in Ayodhya.
— Ra Ch Na (@raggedtag) August 16, 2015
UAE Govt decides to allot land for building a temple...Now only obstacle is to get that allotted land from its real owner Mr Robert Vadra..
— Babu Bhaiyaa (@Babu_Bhaiyaa) August 16, 2015
UAE Govt decides to allot land for building a temple..Ab Ram mandir Ke santh-santh ek bhavya Hanuman mandir bhi banega..vo bhi Abu Dhabi mai
— Babu Bhaiyaa (@Babu_Bhaiyaa) August 16, 2015
#ModiInUAE cartoon @EconomicTimes Bangalore pic.twitter.com/ZNqMQ0t30A
— R Prasad (@rprasad66) August 17, 2015
"Yeh sab theek hai lekin hum Ferrari World kab jaa rahe hai?" pic.twitter.com/GPwwSI1PwL
— Rohan (@mojorojo) August 16, 2015
NaMo With Thakur. pic.twitter.com/dJ63Y9X4g9
— Gajender Singh (@gajender00) August 16, 2015
Dancing on 'Sheikh it baby' pic.twitter.com/WkziS4t9ys
— Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) August 16, 2015
Modi, ya habibi, say those three words for me. "I need oil" pic.twitter.com/jh6pX6PFxK
— oothikicha (@oothikicha) August 16, 2015
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