Bad timing: PMO tweets about yoga during Pathankot attack

Yoga is one of PM Modi’s pet projects and his regime has focussed on using the soft power of yoga to promote India to the world. On Sunday, he was the at the Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana where he said: “I hope that you will integrate yoga and traditional Indian medicine more closely into our health care system. My vision for health care is an integrated system that understands and builds on the best and most effective of different traditions.”  

While there was absolutely nothing wrong with this address or even promoting yoga, the decision to tweet regarding this during a time the Armed Forces were fighting terrorists at the Pathankot Airforce Base in Punjab, in which four terrorists and three army men have been killed so far was ill-thought-out. This clearly wasn't the best time to sing paeans about the benefits of yoga from the PMO's handle. But this is what happened: 

On June 21 more than a million people in 192 countries came together to celebrate the first International Day of Yoga: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 3, 2016

Pic 1: Modi when Pakistan attacked India during UPA regime. Pic 2: Modi now when Pakistan attacked Pathankot. . pic.twitter.com/lX3m2EIG7N

— PhD in Bakchodi !! (@Atheist_Krishna) January 3, 2016

Across cultures and geography, people are increasingly taking to yoga to redefine their lives: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 3, 2016

Across the world there are moving stories of transformed lives and rekindled hopes due to Yoga: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 3, 2016

We need to create the best quality Yoga teachers: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 3, 2016

We will also reduce the social and economic costs to our society and promote a more environment friendly healthcare system: PM

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 3, 2016

Yoga is now a global heritage. And, the world is embracing traditional Indian medicine with great enthusiasm: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 3, 2016

Understandably, the Twitterati including former J&K CM Omar Abdullah directed their ire at the PM for 'ignoring' the attack. "Business as usual is all well and good but a speech about Yoga while an encounter rages at an Air Base in #Pathankot seems totally out of sync," Omar wrote on Twitter. Others too didn't take kindly, to the PMO handle tweeting about yoga. 

Business as usual is all well & good but a speech about yoga while an encounter rages at an Air Base in #Pathankot seems totally out of sync

— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 3, 2016

@priyankac19 :Don't be mean.He has been continuously tweeting about Yoga.Thats what's the need of the hour

— Shishir Singh (@Shishir_Singh76) January 3, 2016

When an ostrich is said to hide its own head in sand. Is it doing yoga?

— Karuna John (@karunajohn) January 3, 2016

and calls to sack #AjitDoval in the middle of an ongoing terror attack are as juvenile as tweets on yoga #justsaying

— Gayatri Jayaraman (@Gayatri__J) January 3, 2016

@vishnurAtha no you only need Modi to tell you about yoga as you die, right? Shameful.

— vir sanghvi (@virsanghvi) January 3, 2016

Not really the time or day to wax on yoga. India wants to hear more than "enemies of humanity". Indian lives matter. https://t.co/EADSBmGkM0

— কাঞ্চন গুপ্ত (@KanchanGupta) January 3, 2016

@PMOIndia @narendramodi Why don't we send Ramdev Baba to teach yoga to terrorist. They will stop attacking us. https://t.co/0Oo8XhcWS4

— Jalaludeen (@jalaludeenkhan) January 3, 2016

Have you had the time or inclination to offer condolences to the martyrs at Pathankot?? https://t.co/XoCjumcvmT

— DahiJalebi (@gunjakapoor) January 3, 2016

Dear Leader, aapne dhun me masst https://t.co/v1dFurNKJa

— Happy New Year! (@PragmaticBong) January 3, 2016

I think the timing of this tweet is very wrong/inappropriate considering the pathankot attack https://t.co/37xVeEGrDu

— Onward Kerala (@onwardkerala) January 3, 2016

It's in such a crisis the need for a Media Adviser to PM bcms glaring. MEA spokesman can't fill the breach & Def Ministry needs guidance. KP

— Krishan Partap Singh (@RaisinaSeries) January 3, 2016

All jokes aside, the problem isn't yoga or even tweeting about it. It's hard to say what one should tweet during such incidents. Showing solidarity with soldiers or condemning the attack seems like a common / garden response which hardly helps but at least shows the state machinery cares. That being said, tweeting about the PM's speech on yoga is a social media goof-up, similar to the time PIB put up photoshopped photos of Modi surveying flood affected areas in Chennai. This was an incredibly obtuse move and something one doesn't expect from an internet savvy government. 

Time and again we've seen the wrong response from the media and the powers-that-be during terrorist attacks. There needs to be a standard protocol when dealing with terrorist attacks. In 2012, the Supreme Court had pulled up TV channels for their callous reporting of the situation, particularly because of the way they telecast security operations live to the world and allowed the 26/11 masterminds to keep abreast of the situation. It's time protocol was laid down, both for the media and politicians on how to react and communicate during terrorist attacks.