Modi effect: Hashtag ‘SelfieWithDaughter’ goes viral globally

Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked people to post selfies with their daughters in his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’, the hashtag #SelfieWithDaughter went viral worldwide. PM Modi made the request referring to a contest started by the sarpanch of a village in Haryana - the state that has acquired a dubious distinction for its skewed sex ratio (the number of females to males).

“Some days ago, a sarpanch in Haryana’s <g data-gr-id="23">Biwipur</g> village, Sunil Jaglan, had come up with an interesting idea,” Modi said, adding, “He started the Selfie With Daughter initiative, under which all fathers had to click selfies with their daughters and post it on social media.” In this context, he also mentioned the Beti Bachao Beti <g data-gr-id="24">Padhao</g> initiative, asking people to post interesting tag lines.

The most interesting tag line, he said, will be announced in a future edition of Mann ki Baat. Modi focused on women in the ninth edition of his <g data-gr-id="21">22 minute</g> radio programme. Looking ahead at the coming Raksha Bandhan festival, he asked the people to do something special for women. “Ahead of Raksha Bandhan, I urge you, please enroll the sisters who work for you, at your homes and in your fields, for the Rs. 12 and Rs. 330 social security programmes,” he said.