Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday criticised online memes showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling them "absolutely cringe".
Priyanka Chaturvedi's remarks came as the internet continues to circulate jokes and memes about the two leaders, playfully suggesting a romantic connection between them.
“This PM Giorgia Meloni and PM Modi memes have gone too far, they are absolutely cringe and also poor reflection of the level of humour that prevails in India. Just saying,” Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote in a post on X.
The memes gained popularity at the G20 Summit in India and reappeared during the recent Lok Sabha elections. The hashtag "#Melodi" was created by merging the names of the two leaders on social media. The bonhomie and the hashtag signify a new concord in India-Italy relations after several difficult years.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi is currently in Italy attending the G7 Summit at Meloni's invitation. This is his first visit to a foreign country since recently assuming office as the PM for the third consecutive term following the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA's victory in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Also Read | What Is The G7 Summit?
In December of last year, Meloni used the hashtag in a photo she tweeted with Modi after meeting him on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai.
"Good friends at COP28 #Melodi,” the Italian prime minister wrote.
Italy is hosting the G7 Summit from June 13 to 15 at the resort of Fasano. The Summit is said to be dominated by the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Gaza war talks
