New Delhi:
Hours after Congress president Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Narendra Modi for being awarded the Philip Kotler award, the American marketing author and professor congratulated the Indian prime minister for the honour and hailed his "selfless service towards India". "I congratulate PM @narendramodi for being conferred the first ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award. He has been selected for his outstanding leadership & selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy," Kotler said on Twitter on Tuesday. He said Modi's efforts in India have resulted in "extraordinary economic, social and technological advances".
I congratulate PM @narendramodi for being conferred the first ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award. He has been selected for his outstanding leadership & selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy. (1/2)
— Philip Kotler (@kotl) January 15, 2019
"His winning the first Philip Kotler Presidential award raises the bar for future recipients," the marketing guru said.
2/2 @narendramodi's efforts have resulted in extraordinary economic, social and technological advances in India. His winning the first award raises the bar for future recipients.
— Philip Kotler (@kotl) January 15, 2019
Earlier in the day, Gandhi took to the micro-blogging site, and said he wanted to "congratulate" the PM on winning the "world famous" Philip Kotler Presidential award.
"In fact it's so famous it has no jury, has never been given out before & is backed by an unheard of Aligarh company. Event Partners: Patanjali & Republic TV :)," he said on Twitter.
I want to congratulate our PM, on winning the world famous “Kotler Presidential Award”!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 15, 2019
In fact it's so famous it has no jury, has never been given out before & is backed by an unheard of Aligarh company.
Event Partners: Patanjali & Republic TV :)https://t.co/449Vk9Ybmz
However, the Congress president’s tweet didn’t go down well the with the BJP. Its leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani, while tagging Gandhi's tweet, suggested that unlike Prime Minister Modi, who was awarded by someone else, the Gandhi family members had conferred themselves the country's top civilian honour --Bharat Ratna.
"Rich !!! Coming from a person whose illustrious family decided to confer the Bharat Ratna' on themselves," she tweeted.
Rich !!! Coming from a person whose illustrious family decided to confer the ‘Bharat Ratna’ on themselves. https://t.co/ipzyRrXNiX
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) January 15, 2019
Also Read | Gandhi family conferred Bharat Ratna on themselves, Smriti Irani’s dig at Rahul
On Monday, Modi received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award in New Delhi. The award focuses on the triple bottom-line of 'people, profit and planet'. It will be offered annually to the leader of a nation, a statement from the Prime Minister's office said.
According to the award citation, Modi was selected for his "outstanding leadership for the nation".
"His selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy has resulted in extraordinary economic, social and technological advances in the country," it read.
Also Read | PM Narendra Modi receives first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award
The citation also states that under his leadership, India is now identified as the centre for innovation and value added manufacturing (Make in India), as well as a global hub for professional services such as information technology, accounting and finance.
The statement quoted the citation as saying Modi's visionary leadership has also resulted in the digital revolution (Digital India), including the Unique Identification Number, Aadhaar, for social benefits and financial inclusion.
Philip Kotler is a professor of marketing at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. Owing to his ill health, Jagdish Sheth of EMORY University, Georgia was deputed to confer the award on Modi.
(With PTI inputs)
