On Monday, November 27, PM Modi visited the revered Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirumala and ‘prayed for the good health, well-being and prosperity of 140 crore Indians.”
PM Modi took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share pictures from his visit to the hallowed temple.
At the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, prayed for the good health, well-being and prosperity of 140 crore Indians. pic.twitter.com/lk68adpgwD
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 27, 2023
In yet another tweet, he shared pictures from his visit to the temple.
Om Namo Venkatesaya!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 27, 2023
Some more glimpses from Tirumala. pic.twitter.com/WUaJ9cGMlH
One of the pictures, however, created quite a flutter on X, with social media platforms, where users remain perpetually outraged or carry on with the pursuit of finding new reasons to outrage, filled with posts attacking the Prime Minister and creating a negative perception about him in public. A picture posted by the official Twitter handle of BJP with the caption expressing salutations to Lord Venkateswara and an image of PM Modi triggered outrage on social media.
In the picture that sparked outrage on social media, PM Modi is seen standing in front of the Sheshnaag of the presiding deity at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, with malicious claims ranging from Prime Minister insulting the deity by showing his back to Lord Venkateswara to PM Modi indulging in narcissism by posing for a picture in front of the deity.
A raft of social media users, including members of the Congress IT cell and those loyal to the Congress party, jumped the bandwagon for what has been catnip for them for over two decades now: maligning Narendra Modi by making presumptuous assumptions and rallying negative sentiments against him.
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Many others wondered if PM Modi was God to be posing in front of the deity.
Others remarked that it was disrespectful and blasphemous to pose in front of God.
Is PM Modi the only one to pose in front of Sheshnaag of Lord Venkateswara?
As it turns out, PM Modi is not the only one to pose in front of Sheshnaag as social media outrage over the picture would have us believe. Several notable personalities, ranging from different walks of life have posed at the very same place where PM Modi posed for a picture.
Former CJI N V Ramana also visited the temple and got his picture clicked at the concerned place. Here’s his picture:-
Similarly, former vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu also posed for a picture at the same spot.
The photos above show various individuals taking pictures at the same location inside the Lord Venkateswara temple as Prime Minister Modi. The controversy surrounding Modi’s recent visit and the uproar over his photo can be seen as, at best, misinformed, and at worst, a deliberate attempt to criticize and portray him negatively.
Contrary to claims made by the outrage mill, PM Modi did not violate the sanctity of the temple and its presiding deity by posing for a photograph before the Sheshnaag, and the place where he stood is a common place for devotees to click their pictures to the revered temple.
Even the official X account of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the trust that oversees the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, also clarified after outrage swept over PM Modi’s pictures from the temple.
"Honoring dignitaries after darshan of Sri Venkateswara Swamy in front of Sesha Vahanam at Ranganayakula Mandapam is a decades-old practice," said TTD Chairman.
— Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (@TTDevasthanams) November 27, 2023
“Honoring dignitaries after darshan of Sri Venkateswara Swamy in front of Sesha Vahanam at Ranganayakula Mandapam is a decades-old practice,” said TTD Chairman.
