It's selfie time! Thanks Premier Li. pic.twitter.com/DSCTszSnq3
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 15, 2015
Where selfies are concerned, there's always scope for one more! PM @narendramodi with Premier Li, Temple of Heaven pic.twitter.com/f5Ubv5QajU
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) May 15, 2015
As the Wall Street Journal put it, the photograph may well be the "most powerful selfie in history." It also raises some interesting questions about China's great firewall, which, in theory, blocks the use of Twitter within China (Modi may have used a virtual private network, or just sent the photograph to staff abroad, to post).
For Li, this seems to be his first selfie (Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared in one last month), and followers of Modi on his newly created Sina Weibo account expressed shock at seeing a relatively candid picture of one of Beijing's elite.
But for Modi, it's just one of a long line of selfies featured on his Twitter account, which has over 12 million followers.
With my friend @TonyAbbottMHR at the MCG. pic.twitter.com/mprgKYPuxG
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 18, 2014
Took selfies with young friends at CNES. We were all trying to take the best selfie out there. pic.twitter.com/xPmKNCgi3G
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 11, 2015
PM Bainimarama took our selfie before the banquet he hosted yesterday evening. pic.twitter.com/0IHQFouNmL
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 20, 2014
Dear @chetan_bhagat, many many happy returns of the day! Sharing the selfie you took last evening pic.twitter.com/JEhky8lOWJ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2014
Modi even caused a minor scandal when he tweeted after voting in last year's election, which his opponents argued broke election laws because it showed a political symbol (the Bharatiya Janata Party logo).
Voted! Here is my selfie pic.twitter.com/7OnhFiJ0AC
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 30, 2014
Modi often isn't the person taking the picture: Big names like American actor Kai Penn and Indian actress Sonam Kapoor have shared their own photos with the Indian leader.
#bestselfieever #namo #modivate #relliancefoundation http://t.co/tgB2y1oKeH pic.twitter.com/nBAEHTPOjG
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) October 25, 2014
Modi's team even promoted a #selfiewithModi hashtag and set up "selfie booths" that allowed members of the public to take a selfie with the Indian leader.
Scientists ke zindagi rishiyon ke tarah hoga hai #ModiDialogue #selfiewithmodi pic.twitter.com/U0QKYlNppb
— Anjali Narayanan (@Anjali_jelly09) February 18, 2015
It is #DELHI & it's your love for #SELFIEwithMODI. Long queues, excitement & enthusiasm to get Selfie with PM #Modi pic.twitter.com/XV0Zsn706q
— selfiewithmodi (@SELFIEwithMODI) February 4, 2015
The 2014 vote that brought Modi to power was dubbed "India's first social media election" at the time. Now, almost a year later, Modi's team seem to have realized that selfies and other social media tactics can help shape the image of the BJP leader, who has been viewed with suspicion by many due to his links to Hindu fundamentalist groups and anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat while he was chief minister of the state in 2002.
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