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Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Priyanka Chaturvedi reacts to ‘Melodi’ memes: ‘Absolutely cringe’

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday described online memes on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “absolutely cringe,” and the jokes reflect the “poor” level of humour in the country. Shiv Sena (UBT) member of Parliament (MP) Priyanka Chaturvedi. (File)

“This PM Giorgia Meloni and PM Modi memes have gone too far, they are absolutely cringe and also poor reflection of the level of humour that prevails in India. Just saying,” Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

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The internet is occasionally flooded with Modi-Meloni memes, jokingly portraying the romance between the two prime ministers. Some posts even create an imaginary phone call between the two. Such memes went viral on social media, especially during the G20 Summit in India and then after the BJP fell short of a majority in the Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, netizens also created a #Melodi - connecting Meloni and Modi’s names.

However, in December of last year, Meloni used the hashtag on a selfie she posted with Modi after meeting him on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai.

“Meeting with PM @GiorgiaMeloni of Italy on the sidelines of the #COP 28 Summit. I trust in the joint efforts of India and Italy for a prosperous and sustainable future…Good friends at COP28 #Melodi,” the Italian prime minister wrote.

Modi is currently in Italy to attend the G7 Summit at Meloni’s invitation. He arrived late Thursday (local time), his first visit to a foreign country since recently assuming office as the PM for the third consecutive term following the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

On Friday, Modi will participate in the G7 outreach session in Italy’s Apulia region. He will hold bilateral talks on various issues with world leaders, including Meloni. He is also expected to interact with US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Italy is hosting the G7 Summit from June 13 to 15 at the resort of Fasano. The Summit is said to be dominated by the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas war talks