Earlier this week, the White House raised eyebrows by unfollowing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal handle on Twitter, along with five other handles including President Ram Nath Kovind’s and the Indian Embassy in the US.
Responding to the issue, Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday, 30 April, said, “It is cleared by The White House through media report. They briefly followed Twitter account during the President’s visit. This is done so that officials of the host country can retweet the messages about the visit.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the White House explained that its Twitter handle typically 'follows' the accounts of officials from host countries for a brief period during a presidential trip to retweet their messages in support of the visit.
"The White House Twitter account normally follows senior US government Twitter accounts, and others as appropriate. For example, during the time of a presidential visit, the account typically follows for a short time, the host country's officials to retweet their messages in support of the visit," a senior administration official told PTI on the condition of anonymity when asked why they unfollowed the accounts.
‘Dismayed’: Rahul Gandhi After White House Unfollows PM
The White House 'unfollowing' the Twitter accounts of President Kovind and PM Modi drew reactions on social media in India. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he was "dismayed" at the development.
As of 29 April, the White House had 22 million followers. It has traditionally ben following 13 accounts including that of President Donald Trump and his official Twitter handle, the First Lady, the Vice President, the Second Lady, the new Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, the National Security Council and the former White House Press Secretary, Stephanie Grisham, among others.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)