Modi vs Kejriwal on Twitter

BY AQSA ZAIDI| IN Digital Media | 18/01/2016
The prime minister is not afraid to be boring, and sounds remarkably like Doordarshan. The CM is not afraid to be pugnacious, and retweets journalists all the time.
A HOOT survey. Research by AQSA ZAIDI

 

The prime minister comes across as a one man press information bureau. The Delhi chief minister as a disseminator-in-chief.  Both are champion tweeters,  though one retweets much more than he tweets. How they use the medium says a lot about what makes Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal very different as politicians and communicators. It also reveals their attitude to journalists.

The Hoot surveyed their tweets over two months.

 

Fact file: Nov 1-Dec 31, 2015

Narendra Modi
Total number of tweets: 452
Total number of re-tweets: 32
Average number of tweets: 452/61 = 7.40
Average number of re-tweets: 32/61 = 0.52
Almost all the links shared by Modi are to his site or the mygov.in portal. 

Arvind Kejriwal
Total number of tweets: 169
Total number of re-tweets: 430
Average number of tweets: 169/61 days = 2.77
Average number of re-tweets: 430/61 days = 7.04

 

For leading politicians, Twitter is usually more about publicizing than engaging, and that is true of both these leaders too. ‘Look-what-I-did-today’ (Modi) versus ‘Look-what- they-are-saying-about-me-and-my-party’ (Kejriwal).

The difference is that Modi  wouldn’t be caught dead re-tweeting a journalist while Kejriwal does little else, assiduously re-tweeting news and commentary about the Aam Aadmi Party  and himself.

Here is part of his tweeting spree on January 1, after the odd-even car numbers scheme was launched. Kejriwal tweeted five times and re-tweeted 57 times! Most names, known and unknown, are of journalists.  

 

Whom he re-tweeted                                          Topic of re-tweet

Twitter India

Link to blog article about @delhitransport

Delhi Transport

Picture of @delhitransport

AAP In News

Picture of news report that US and French embassies to follow odd-even rules

ANI

Picture of Delhi Tourism Minister following odd-even scheme

Ashutosh Mishra

Picture of one car not following odd-even scheme

Naveen Kapoor

Support for odd-even scheme

ANI

Pictures of an even car being challaned

Times Now

AAP volunteers to help with odd-even scheme

Rupashree Nanda

About the odd-even scheme

Ankit Gupta

Pictures from cameras deployed by ABP News to watch roads

ABP News

Link to article saying that scheme is successful

Sagarika Ghose

Asking people to support the odd-even scheme

Anurag Dhanda

Lauding Delhi for supporting the odd-even scheme

Kanchan Bhupan

Video showing people's support for odd-even scheme

Kapil Mishra

Thanking Delhi for supporting the odd-even scheme 

India Today FLASH

Delhi government asking volunteers to give flowers to offenders

Barkha Dutt

Lauding Delhi for supporting the odd-even scheme

 

Modi does not respond to any journalist. He only re-tweets world leaders, BJP ministers, and what the PMO office puts out. His own tweets are about his government’s policies and initiatives, he shares videos and pictures of his engagements, and offers birthday wishes  and condolences. In terms of expression, he simply states facts and is happy to be a bore. Here is a sample:

 

Date

Topic of tweet

1/11/2015

Pictures showing rallies in Madhubani, Madhepura and Katihar (Bihar)

 

Video (from rally) praising the people of Bihar

 

Video (from rally) questioning Mahaswarthbandhan about governance

 

Further plans of rallies in Purnea, Forbesganj and Darbhanga (Bihar)

2/11/2015

NDA's rally being well-received in Bihar

 

Video (from rally) about the Maithili language

 

Video (from rally) questioning Mahaswarthbandhan about electricity

 

Glimpses of campaign today--pictures

 

About telephone talk with Nepal PM, condemning death of Bihari youngster

3/11/2015

Link to FB video about India-Africa Summit

4/11/2015

Picture of PRAGATI session on Jan Dhan Yojana and railways

 

Indo-Bangladesh border progress

 

Discussion on Aadhaar enrolment, JDY and leakages

 

Infra projects across states (with link to his site)

 

Vote appeal to all Bihar voters during last phase of state elections

5/11/2015

Topics taken up  at Visitors' Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan

 

Call for greater academic-industry partnership (with link to his site)

 

Launch of 3 gold related schemes (with link to Finance Ministry site)

 

Benefits of gold scheme (with link to his site)

 

Picture of launch of India Gold Coins

 

Laying the stone for Sonepat highways (with link to his site)

 

You get the picture…..

In contrast, Kejriwal is a politician out to enjoy himself on Twitter, play politics, and take swipes at his favourite opponent – and no prizes for guessing who that is.

 

He steps away occasionally from his Delhi preoccupations to do some national politicking, knocking down the Bharatiya Janta Party where he can, and building solidarity with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

He will also tweet a link to Mika Singh’s song ‘Maa’. Alas, we could not find a Modi counter in musical terms in the months monitored.

 

 

The Hoot is the only not-for-profit initiative in India which does independent media monitoring.
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