On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 9.02 km long Atal Tunnel in Rohtang, Himachal Pradesh, greatly reducing travel time between Manali and the Lahaul-Spiti Valley.
It is believed to be the longest road tunnel in the world above an altitude of 10,000 feet.
The project is expected to boost tourism in the region and give the armed forces faster access to Ladakh.
As part of the opening ceremony, Modi walked through the tunnel and took a ride in an open vehicle. But the images that emerged of him waving in the seemingly empty tunnel sparked an explosion of humor on social media.
Who exactly was he greeting and why he was doing it, many wanted to know.
Some people love to greet the vast void in front of them😂😂pic.twitter.com/gkSQCB25QN
– Ravi Nair (@t_d_h_nair) October 3, 2020
PM modi saying hello to the most staunch fans !!! pic.twitter.com/fOlEs6oJXm
– Arsh Khurana (@arshkhurana) October 4, 2020
Stop trolling Modi ji for waving in an empty tunnel.
You are just trying to create Modi Wave.
– Nirmala Tai (@CrypticMiind) October 4, 2020
Messi waving Modi waving
hand with the player’s hand at
Better than him Actors Better
that he pic.twitter.com/kdqYd2ucFY– The Bong Next Door (@VotHardVotHard) October 4, 2020
If everyone wondered what Modi is saluting …#Justice pic.twitter.com/iaTWph6d0N
– IT CELL WORKER / ACAB / DLM / CONGRESS (@ ambedkar4life) October 4, 2020
What would Modi do if he was an IPL cricketer?
He waved his hand in the empty stadium and released all the catches😖 pic.twitter.com/80LikPgLDn
– ashok (@ buda2019) October 4, 2020
Stop criticizing Modiji. I was greeting people in the tunnel who will pass through it in the future. What a visionary leader!
– PuNsTeR ™ (@Pun_Starr) October 4, 2020
Image Description: Modi walking in an empty tunnel waving to her best friend, the camera. pic.twitter.com/4zAf9qPkL8
– anna (@annaverbee) October 4, 2020
This is not the first time the camera has captured Modi waving to no one in particular.
The prime minister once baffled social media by waving from a boat to an indistinguishable audience on Srinagar’s Dal Lake. This was especially ironic given that an intense security blockade had accompanied Modi’s visit to Kashmir.
This video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has Twitterati guessing: ‘who is he greeting?’#Narendra Modi #Srinagar #Jammu #Cashmere pic.twitter.com/QG1BC5hbDO
– ABP News (@ABPNews) February 5, 2019
A few months earlier, in December 2018, Modi’s actions during the inauguration of Assam’s Bogbhee Bridge caused similar confusion.
Modi Wave exists. It does. Can you see an unusual character waving? Only there’s no one down there to say hello to. That’s the Modi Wave for you. pic.twitter.com/QwR0kbu2iT
– Brijesh Kalappa (@brijeshkalappa) Dec 26, 2018
Watch
Atal Tunnel, connecting Manali with the Lahaul-Spiti Valley, opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
.
