Narendra Modi
Pictured: Narendra ModiReuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who compared Kerala to Somalia during an election rally recently, became the subject of mockery by Twitter users as they used the hashtag #PoMoneModi, with "po mone" translating to the colloquial "Go back, son." Chief Minister Oommen Chandy also wrote to the prime minister saying he should show "political decency" and withdraw his remarks.

Modi had on Sunday said during an election rally that the "infant mortality rate among Scheduled Tribes in Kerala is worse than Somalia." The Bharatiya Janata Party was expecting to gain a larger vote share in Kerala in the May 16 Assembly election.

"You made statements that had nothing to do with reality and likened Kerala to Somalia. This is unbecoming of a prime minister and has created a great deal of agony," Chandy was quoted as saying by BBC.

"With great deal of regret, let me point out that they (previous prime ministers) never attempted anything that brought disrepute to the office of the prime minister like you have done," he was quoted by NDTV as having written in the letter.

Social media users responded to Modi's statement with a movie reference, which turned into a trend. Their reactions ranged from ridiculing Gujarat's Human Development Index to saying those who wanted to vote for a neutral party and not take sides in the United Democratic Front (UDF)-Left Democratic Front (LDF) battle have been deterred by his remarks.