Rahul Gandhi posted a one-line greeting for PM Modi. (File)
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday today, Rahul Gandhi posted a one-line greeting without comment. "Happy Birthday, Modi ji," wrote the Congress leader, who frequently targets the government and the ruling BJP in his near-daily tweets.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, another fierce critic of PM Modi, also wished him in a tweet. "Birthday greetings to PM Shri Narendra Modi. I pray for your long and healthy life," he posted.
Both supporters and critics of PM Modi wished him on Twitter with the trending hashtag #HappyBdayModiji.
The BJP has launched mega three-week birthday celebrations for PM Modi, which will include "thank you" postcards from citizens, vaccination drives, cleanliness and environmental campaigns and ceremonies. The celebrations, marking the Prime Minister's 20 years in public office, will continue till October 7, the day in 2001 when he was sworn in as Gujarat's Chief Minister.
The ruling party has billed the celebrations as a "Seva Samarpan Abhiyan" or "service and dedication campaign". As a counter, the Congress has put out a blizzard of tweets urging people to mark the day as "National Unemployment Day".
"What a shameful HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Indian Prime-minister Modi. The whole of India is wishing him #NationalUnemploymentDay," the Congress's youth wing chief Srinivas BV wrote in a series of tweets criticising the government on joblessness, slow growth and fuel prices.
Rahul Gandhi had also tweeted last week on job losses. "The 'development' of the BJP government is such that the difference between Sunday and Monday has ended. If there is no job then what Sunday and what Monday!" - the Congress MP had posted in Hindi.