Following the conclusion of an address to a crowd gathered for the 68th Chartered Accountants Day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked off the stage to the iconic Star Wars theme “The Imperial March.”
After finishing his speech, Narendra Modi waved to his supporters (3:30) with the theme in the background, which was has become synonymous with villainy after it was used to represent Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. It remains unclear why the music was playing or who chose it.
Vader, who was originally a noble Jedi known as Anakin Skywalker, turned to evil after he fell to the “dark side of the force,” and his role serving the insidious Galatic Empire led him to become one of the most iconic movie villains in history.
The speech was of considerable importance, with hundreds of politicians, business leaders, and supporters present in the audience. Modi was presenting a series of tax reforms such as the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, designed to liberate the Indian economy and tackle corruption.
“Like the lawyers did during the freedom struggle, I urge the CAs to take the lead in the journey towards India’s economic growth,” Modi said. “We will always remember how the community of professionals took a lead during the freedom struggle of India.”
Nothing in the speech appeared correlated to the music played when he concluded his statements.
The somewhat bizarre choice left a number of social media users confused, given that Modi has regularly presented himself as a peacekeeper and not as a space dictator. Some were also eager to find out the “genius” behind the choice of music, or whether Modi chose it himself.
However, some suspect the incident might not have been accidental. In a speech at Madison Square Garden in 2014, Modi finished his speech with the words: “God bless you, and may the force be with you.”
During a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House last week, both men agreed that the “top priority” is to “destroy radical Islamic terrorism” as well as ending terrorist “safe shelters, sanctuaries, and safe havens.”
“We consider the USA as our primary partner for India’s social and economic transformation,” Modi added.
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