Social media like Anandiben’s FB resignation, call it Digital India initiative

Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel sprang a surprise on Friday by offering to resign from her post, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) needed a fresh face in the state before elections next year. Here’s how social media reacted.

Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel sprang a surprise on Monday by offering to resign from her post, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) needed a fresh face in the state before elections next year.

Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel on Friday offered to resign from her post on Facebook.(AFP File Photo)

Considering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s affinity to social media — he has often been critical of ministers who do not aggressively use digital platforms to tout the government’s achievements — it wasn’t completely unusual that Patel chose Facebook to convey the news.

With this she probably became the first CM to announce her resignation on social media.

Twitter, of course, responded to the news with its trademark levity.

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who had predicted Patel’s exit, jumped on the opportunity to gloat, claiming responsibility of the move.

But not everyone took the 75-year-old’s decision lightly — while some appreciated her decision as a sign of a “quality leader”, others urged her to reconsider.

Read | Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel offers to resign, says BJP needs ‘fresh face’