Korea Open: PV Sindhu criticized on Twitter after dedicating title win to PM Modi

PV Sindhu edged out Nozomi Okuhara in a thrilling three-game encounter at the final of the Korea Open to lift the third Superseries title of her career and the second of the season. After their historic face-off at the World Championships last month, where the Japanese came up trumps, the final in Seoul was sweet revenge for the Indian, who was hailed across social media following her victory.

She received wishes from across the nation -- from her fellow athletes, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Vijender Singh and Dipa Karmakar, to Bollywood superstars like Shraddha Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar, to politicians such as Amit Shah, Akhilesh Yadav and Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

Through the official account of the Prime Minister's Office, the PM conveyed his best regards to the ace shuttler. "Congratulations to @Pvsindhu1 on emerging victorious in the Korea Open Super Series. India is immensely proud of her accomplishment: PM," the tweet stated.

Sunday was also the Prime Minister's 67th birthday and Sindhu responded to the wishes in brilliant fashion. She replied to the tweet and dedicated the win to Modi on his birthday, thianking him for his exceptional service to the country.

It said, "I dedicate this Victory for our beloved Prime Minister Shri Modiji on his Birthday for his untiring and self less services to our Country. (sic)"

I dedicate this Victory for our beloved Prime Minister Shri Modiji on his Birthday for his untiring and self less services to our Country. https://t.co/frsNmZvtkK
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) September 17, 2017

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However, social media reared its ugly side yet again and some fans on Twitter did not take the wishes well, criticizing Sindhu for her tweet.

The tweet also became the subject of a Twitter war between users, with people treating the tweet as a victory for themselves and a blow to 'liberals' and 'seculars', stating that Sindhu will now too be called a 'bhakt'.

About the author

Shraishth Jain is a former sports journalist & content specialist, with over eight years of experience of working in the industry. A graduate of commerce, he earned his post-graduate diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in Delhi.

His journey in the field of sports journalism began as a freelancer with Sportskeeda in 2015, covering events from a wide range of sports across north India. He joined the organization full-time two years later and then worked at Times Now. Subsequently, he worked as a Media Officer at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) from 2019-2022, working in media operations, handling social media & PR for the federation and its various verticals, along with travelling with various national teams. He moved to RoundGlass Punjab FC for a season, before making the switch to working on his retail business.

He has been watching sports religiously for as long as he can remember. He is a die-hard Manchester United fan and spends almost all of his free time watching one sport or the other, and keeping tabs on the happenings in the world of sport around the globe.

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