Prime Minister Narendra Modi scored three goals in Sikkim on Tuesday, a day before the second and final phase of polls in neighbouring Bengal.
The political messaging was loud and clear on his verified Facebook page when he asked: “How do you celebrate when you hit a goal?"
The line quickly travelled across the borders in Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress battle cry is “khela hobe (the game will be played)".
Football is passionately followed both in Bengal and Sikkim.
Modi reached Sikkim on Monday afternoon to attend the closing ceremony of Sikkim’s golden jubilee celebration of statehood immediately after the 48-hour poll silence period started in Bengal.
On Tuesday morning, Modi played a game of football with a bunch of young footballers, both boys and girls, on the lawns of the Lok Bhawan in Gangtok.
Modi scored a hat-trick. A clip of him scoring a goal and celebrating with high fives with the young players was posted on his verified Facebook page with the question: “How do you celebrate when you hit a goal?”
The political metaphor was not lost on netizens.
An FB user immediately wrote: “Kela Hobe 29 April, asor jombe (the game will be played on April 29, the arena will heat up).” Another user commented: “Didi, this time it’s going to be a blast.”
“Sir, a goal Bengal mei paribartan layega (Sir, this goal will bring a change in Bengal,” wrote another. Another message read: “This time BJP will score the goal against TMC in West Bengal as well.”
Some also took potshots at the Modi government's functioning. A user said: “Goalkeeper appointed by ECI”, to which another replied, “Goalkeeper will be rewarded with a Rajya Sabha position.”
One wrote: “If the goalkeeper had caught the ball, his career would have been over for life.”
Soon after the friendly football game, Modi visited Swarna Jayanti Maitreya Manjari, a cultural plaza in Gangtok that symbolises five decades of Sikkim's integration and growth.
The orchidarium at the centre houses over 100 species of orchids, including those named after Modi, former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, His Holiness Dalai Lama, Hollywood actor Jackie Chan and Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Later, he addressed the public during the closing ceremony of the statehood celebration at the Paljor Stadium.
“Friends, I reached Gangtok yesterday afternoon (Monday), and before coming here, I was busy in the heat of Bengal politics. The moment I came here, I experienced satisfaction, there was festivity all around, and my heart was filled with happiness,” said Modi, who also held a road show in Gangtok right after his arrival on Monday.