Modi 'signs off', hands over social media accounts to 7 'women achievers'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday gave his social media handles to seven "women achievers", following up on a statement he had made on Monday.

"Greetings on International Women's Day! We salute the spirit and accomplishments of our Nari Shakti. As I'd said a few days ago, I'm signing off. Through the day, seven women achievers will share their life journeys and perhaps interact with you through my social media accounts," Modi tweeted.

"These women have done great work in a wide range of sectors. Their struggles and aspirations motivate millions," he said.

The first to tweet from the PM's Twitter handle was Sneha Mohandoss, founder of Food Bank India, and she was followed by Dr. Malvika Iyer, a disability rights activist who lost her arms in a bomb blast. 
 

Modi, with roughly 50 million followers on Twitter; 44 million 'likes' on Facebook and 35 million followers on Instagram, uses social media to speak about his government's policies or appealing for peace.

Last week, he surprised his followers when he was announced that he was "thinking" of giving up his social media accounts. Thousands of people appealed him to stay but the Congress party accused of him encouraging online trolls.

Sitaram Yechury, a leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), described the government's campaigns on Women's Day as "tokenism and gimmickry".

"Women's Day is not just about one day. Its revolutionary origins for equal wages and rights are a powerful and important reinforcer of those who hold up half the sky," said Yechury on Twitter, saying the government was sitting on a Bill that proposes to amend the Constitution of India to reserve 33 per cent of all seats in the Lok Sabha and in all state legislative assemblies for women.