‘Chowkidar Narendra Modi’ goes all out to blunt Rahul’s attack

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 17

A day after asking the country to take a pledge “MaiBhiChowkidar”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday went all out to blunt the Congress “chowkidar chor hai” attack by calling himself “Chowkidar Narendra Modi” on Twitter.

Modi sprung a surprise this morning by changing his Twitter handle from Narendra Modi to Chowkidar Narendra Modi.

His move triggered a series of similar changes across BJP top brass by party chief Amit Shah quickly altering his Twitter handle and adopting a new one “Chowkidar Amit Shah” and the Ministers following suit starting with Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.

Modi had yesterday posted a message for the people asking everyone to take the pledge to be a watchman of national interests like he said he was.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi reacted to the development saying Modi’s tweet was defensive.

The BJP strategy team has carefully thought through the Gandhi attack and the PM on Saturday posted online a song, “Mai bhi chowkidar hoon”, to send a message of anti-corruption and solidarity across his Twitter fan following.

It was unclear though as to how Modi would follow up on the request of asking everyone to take the chowkidar pledge.

Today he made it clear by changing his Twitter handle in a move that Congress gets could trigger a wave of Twitter followers also changing their handles on the call of the PM.

The developments are reminiscent of the counter-strategy BJP had adopted on the eve of 2014 Lok Sabha polls when the party had converted Congress Leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s “chaiwallah” jibe on Modi to its advantage launching a whole poll-time outreach series called “Chai pe charcha”.

Rahul Gandhi has been accusing PM Modi of corruption in the Rafale matter and has been going around election rallies saying “chowkidar chor hai”.

'Chicanery' 

Congress hit back at the move. In a tweet that came within hours of the BJP trend, Chattisgarh Congress said the public should be wary of such “tricksters”.  

“Ravan came dressed as a ‘sadhu’. Mareech came dressed as a deer. Kalanemi came dressed as a ‘rishi’. Every trickster has used disguises to loot and kidnap. Today a gang of thieves are roaming free calling themselves ‘chowkidars’. When you use your vote, you’ll see their true colours.”     

रामायण गवाह है-

रावण आया था - साधु बनकर
मारीच आया था- हिरण बनकर
कालनेमि आया था- ऋषि बनकर

लूटपाट अपहरण के उद्देश्य से हर छलिया भेष बदलकर आया है।

वर्तमान में-

एक चोरों की टोली है, जो अपने नाम के आगे चौकीदार लगाकर घूम रही है।

अपने वोट से इन पर प्रहार करें, इनका असली रूप दिखेगा।

— INC Chhattisgarh (@INCChhattisgarh) March 17, 2019