Rahul Gandhi Attacks PM Modi Over ‘Melody’ Gift to Giorgia Meloni, Calls It ‘Nautanki’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a viral video showing him gifting ‘Melody’ toffees to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying the gesture reflected “gimmick” rather than leadership at a time when the country was facing economic challenges.
Taking to X during his visit to Raebareli, Gandhi targeted the Prime Minister over the now-viral “Melodi” moment that emerged from Modi’s Italy visit.
“Aarthik toofan sar par hain, aur hamare pradhan mantri italy me toffee baant rahe hain! (An economic storm is raging but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is handing out candy in Italy),” Gandhi said.
“Aarthik toofan sar par hain, aur hamare pradhan mantri italy me toffee baant rahe hain! (An economic storm is raging but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is handing out candy in Italy),” Gandhi said.
“Yah netratva nahi, nautanki hai (This isn't leadership, it's a gimmick),” the Congress MP added.
आर्थिक तूफ़ान सर पर है, और हमारे प्रधानमंत्री इटली में टॉफ़ी बाँट रहे हैं!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 20, 2026
किसान, युवा, महिलाएँ, मज़दूर और छोटे व्यापारी सब रो रहे हैं - PM हंसकर रील बना रहे हैं, और BJP वाले ताली बजा रहे हैं।
यह नेतृत्व नहीं, नौटंकी है।
Writing in Hindi, the former Congress president further said that while farmers, labourers and traders in India were struggling, the Prime Minister was “laughing and making reels” as BJP leaders applauded him.
The remarks came after Meloni shared a video on social media thanking Modi for gifting her a packet of India’s popular ‘Melody’ toffees.
The remarks came after Meloni shared a video on social media thanking Modi for gifting her a packet of India’s popular ‘Melody’ toffees.
In the clip, Meloni can be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee -- Melody.”
“Thank you for the gift,” she wrote in the caption.
The video also showed Modi laughing as Meloni playfully referred to the “Melody” toffee, reviving the popular “Melodi” nickname associated with the two leaders online.
“Thank you for the gift,” she wrote in the caption.
The video also showed Modi laughing as Meloni playfully referred to the “Melody” toffee, reviving the popular “Melodi” nickname associated with the two leaders online.
The hashtag “Melodi” — a combination of Modi and Meloni’s names — first gained attention during the COP28 summit in Dubai in 2023. Meloni had posted a selfie with Modi captioned, “Good friends at COP28. #Melodi,” sparking a wave of memes and social media trends.
The bond between the two leaders continued to draw online attention during the G7 Summit, where Meloni shared another light-hearted video with Modi saying, “Hello from the Melodi Team!”
Modi arrived in Rome on Tuesday as part of the final leg of his five-nation tour covering the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15 to May 20.
Modi arrived in Rome on Tuesday as part of the final leg of his five-nation tour covering the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15 to May 20.
The visit to Italy took place at Meloni’s invitation and focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in areas including trade, defence, clean energy and technology.
Meloni had also visited India during the 2023 G20 Summit, where the two leaders were seen sharing warm interactions.
Meloni had also visited India during the 2023 G20 Summit, where the two leaders were seen sharing warm interactions.
