How #12th Plan becomes one of top 10 Twitter trends in India; PMO triggers debate

Montek Singh Ahluwalia (File Photo)

NO ONE might have alerted Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia that #12^th Plan was one of the top 10 Twitter trends in India on Tuesday evening. What is usually considered once-in-five-years mammoth sarkari exercise, the 12^th five-year-plan somehow caught the imagination of India’s Twitter freaks. The other trends at the same time included Women Lie About, Brisbane ODI, Jigna Vora and Vijay Mallya. It all started when Prime Minister’s Office tweeted: “PM is meeting all Planning Commission members today as they get ready to prepare the #12thPlan. Send in your ideas and we will forward them.” And everyone jumped in.
One Santhosh Kumar suggested that the government hospitals should have better doctors. Also, he wanted current education system of grades be abolished, and a new industrial and job oriented system be encouraged under 12^th Plan.
But not all Tweets were genuine recommendations the way PMO wanted. One Nandita Bayan said: “Dear PMO, try achieving at least 50% of all previous 11 plans, then think of the so called #12thPlan”.
As more and more people joined the debate by evening, the fake PMO Twitter account which called itself the “parody account” also joined the bandwagon. It says: “#12thPlan to lower poverty line to 5 paisa per day so that Indira Gandhi ji’s dream of removing poverty comes true.” It’s quite confusing because that account too has a similar photo of Dr Manmohan Singh. And the fake account follows none, but has a number of followers as well.
Angered by Rs 32 a-day poverty line controversy, one Avin Chhangani did a straight talk: “Abolish the Planning Commission”. Is Montek Singh Ahluwalia listening by any chance?