PM Narendra Modi (ANI, file photo)

NEW DELHI: A day after his tweet hinting at the possibility of giving up his social media accounts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday ended speculation, saying his accounts on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube will be handled by “women who inspire us” on Women’s Day on March 8.

“This Women's Day (March 8), I will give away my social media accounts to women whose life & work inspire us. This will help them ignite motivation in millions. Are you such a woman or do you know such inspiring women? Share such stories using #SheInspiresUs,” Modi tweeted, sharing the hashtag so that women could share their stories and take part in the campaign.

The accounts will run by the selected women for a day, though there could be several women involved. “It need not be one person running one channel. There is no limit,” said a source. Given Modi’s presence on social media, his accounts are likely to get widespread attention on the day.

With hashtag “SheInspiresUs”, Modi asked, “Your chance to take-over Narendra Modi’s social media accounts for a day! Are you a woman whose life and work can inspire the world? Do you know inspiring women who have made a difference in their spheres of life?”

Following this PM offered, “Tweets or post it on twitter/FB/instagram using “SheInspiresUs. You can also shoot a video and post it on youtube ... select entries get a chance to take over Narendra Modi’s social media accounts and share their thoughts & ideas with the world.”

Modi sent the social media abuzz with his tweet on Monday, “This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted.”

While some wondered whether his quitting had anything to do with the menace of fake news, others surmised that India might launch a China-type indigenous social media platform. Modi is one of the most-followed world leaders on social media with 53.3 million followers on Twitter, 44 million on Facebook and 35.2 million on Instagram. The Twitter handle of the Prime Minister's Office has 32 million followers.

In September 2019, Modi was the third-most followed world leader on the microblogging site, behind only US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama . The Prime Minister was the first Indian to cross the 50-million followers mark on Twitter.

