Reporter’s diary: True lies exposed by a social media gaffe

CHENNAI: Political leaders participate in charity and public healthcare awareness programmes to create a perception of their ‘undiluted interest in public welfare’ and their contribution towards the same. In an effort to sustain a much-needed conscientious image, they often slip…that negligence can turn their activities into a joke, sometimes worthy of online memes.

In one such incident, a DMK MLA, often seen as the youth icon by many, participated in an inaugural ceremony of a free facility at Royapettah Government Hospital. The facility was donated by the MLA and patients at the hospital celebrated his contribution.

With so much debate on freebies, and donations to any public facility being seen in a different light by the opposition, this contribution by the MLA was genuinely appreciated, even by the scribes.

However, the age of social media shines a brighter glare on a public figure, especially if they’re not careful about their social media activity. Lady Luck was certainly not by this MLA’s side when he tweeted that he had inaugurated the facility at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital instead of Royapettah GH.

Netizens had a field day with jokes and memes. Someone rightly commented that while political leaders claim to be working towards public welfare, they’re clueless about real-world problems at the grassroots level and just rely on their social media teams or PRs to do basic research. — Shweta Tripathi, Chennai