Indian PM joins Twitter

Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has joined Twitter, reportedly as part of an attempted bid to boost his communication with the country’s young people. The move comes as Singh’s government forges ahead in its attempts to censor “objectionable material” on social media.

According to The Next Web, the account will function as on official communication channel between Singh and the Indian people in much the same way as the @whitehouse and @Number10gov accounts do in the US and UK respectively. What this means, effectively is that the account will be managed by the Prime Minister’s communications team rather than Singh himself.

Speaking to the BBC, a member of the PM’s communication team explained the decision to get tweeting:

A lot of work gets done in the prime minister’s office. Mr Singh makes 30-45 trips in a year. All this is not reflected properly and is not going out to the people. The Twitter account will help in disseminating this information. It will also help him to reach out to younger people

According to The Next Web the move is, at least in part, an attempt to address Singh’s low profile and reputation for being inaccessible to the media.

Since going live, the Prime Minister’s account has attracted some 10 500 followers. At present, however, the leader is not following anyone else.

Singh has some way to go if he’s to catch up to other global leaders. US President Barack Obama’s account, for instance, has some 12-million plus followers.

Among the fellow BRICS countries, however, Singh could make much more of an impact. South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma has 83 000 plus followers, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has 150 000 plus followers, and Brazil’s Dilma Rouseff has a clear lead with over a million followers. Twitter is, of course, banned in China so Hu Jintao can’t really compete on the social network.

Sinh’s account also has a long way to go before it catches up with India’s leading tweeter: cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar.