New Delhi: Portmanteau wrote itself. Now, it has a ring that can launch a thousand candy commercials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Italy early Wednesday, welcomed his counterpart Georgia Meloni and handed her a packet of ‘Melody’, much to the delight of political journalists. Interestingly, the name of Parle Toffee matches the name of the friendship between the two Prime Ministers that has been trending on the internet for three years. The 12-second video of the ‘chocolate’ exchange between PM Modi and Meloni was viewed more than 10 crore times within a few hours. “PM Modi has brought us a gift – a very, very nice toffee: Melody,” Meloni said as Modi picked up the packet, before both burst into a hearty laugh. “Thank you for the gift,” she later posted on X. The ‘Melody’ tag has been a major part of online trends whenever the two have met. It got something close to official endorsement when Meloni used it as a hashtag on a selfie with PM Modi posted during the COP28 meeting in the UAE in December 2023. PM’s toffee diplomacy in Rome sent the opposition back home. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister was “busy distributing sweets in Italy” while “there is an economic storm going on in the country”. “Farmers, youth, women laborers and small traders are all shedding tears – the PM is laughing and making reels, while BJP people are clapping. This is not leadership, this is a farce,” he said. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also targeted the PM. “Modiji wants the public to enjoy the ‘melody’ of his speeches while being spared the ‘sorrow’ of his government’s loot!” Citing domestic LPG prices, he said that it has increased by 121%. “Every aspect of the economy is suffering, but Modiji continues his public relations campaign and exhorts citizens to shoulder the burden of this severe economic storm,” Kharge alleged. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal expressed his views on the toffee discussion, though without mentioning Melody the Sweet or Melody the Pair. He wrote on Later, responding to Rahul’s criticism of Modi’s choice of gift for the Italian PM, Goyal wondered why he had so much “hate” for India and Indian products. “India has become a trusted destination for the world through its ‘Made in India’ and ‘Local Goes Global’ initiatives, but Congress can only find problems in every Indian achievement,” he said, alleging that Rahul is unable to digest the country’s “rising stature under PM Modi’s rule”. The Prime Minister was in Italy on the last leg of his five-nation tour. Meloni hosted him for dinner and accompanied him on a tour of the Colosseum.