‘Incredible Liar’: Twitter on PM Using Email, Digital Cam in 1988

PM Modi claimed that he was one of the early adopters of email, and had used a digital camera as far back as 1988.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Narendra Modi’s recent ‘tryst’ with technology is proving to be a bitter pill to swallow for many on Twitter, with the prime minister’s unusual ‘cloud cover’ remark, while discussing the Balakot air strikes, leaving many scratching their heads.

And now, just as the trolling seemed to be subsiding, the prime minister has claimed that he was at the ‘forefront’ of the global technological revolution.

A clip from his recent interview with News Nation has gone viral, in which Modi can be heard claiming that he was one of the first people in India to use a digital camera in 1988 – purportedly to click a coloured photograph of BJP veteran leader LK Advani.

PM Modi also claimed that he was one of the early adopters of the electronic mail (email), back in 1988.

The bait proved to be too hard to resist, and many Twitter users, including politicians, journalists, economists and social commentators had a field day.

‘Embarrassing for India’

Economist Rupa Subramanya pointed out that even in the West, email was available to only a select few. “But Modi somehow used it in 1988 in India before it was officially introduced to the rest of us in 1995,” she said.

Political commentator Salman Soz, meanwhile, said the gaffe was an “embarrassment for India.”

‘Cannot be Trusted With National Security’

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said a PM who’ll literally say anything “cannot possibly be trusted with our national security.”

Scholar Ashok Swain slammed the prime minister, saying Modi suffers from a “serious illness” and that he “needs proper medical care.”

Many Fact-Checked the PM

Some users Tweeted the first ever photograph sent as an email attachment, an event that took place four years (in 1992) after Modi’s first alleged email.

‘Did He Invent Email?’

While several others questioned how Modi came into possession of such expensive technology, given his ‘humble origins.’

‘Old Habits Die Hard’