The 'chowkidar' trend: PM Modi renames Twitter handle, BJP leaders follow

Narendra Modi had on Saturday urged his supporters to take the 'main bhai chowkidar' pledge, saying he is not alone in the fight against graft and social evils

The BJP Sunday stepped up its 'Main bhi chowkidar' campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other party leaders, including its president Amit Shah, prefixing the word 'chowkidar' (watchman) to their names in their Twitter profile as they sought people's support in the Lok Sabha elections.

Party leaders, many of them union ministers and chief ministers, also put out short videos showing that people from different walks of life have turned 'chowkidar' to do their bit for the country like Modi.

Modi's Twitter profile identified him as "Chowkidar Narendra Modi" and similar was the case with other BJP leaders as they launched a coordinated campaign.

"As chowkidars of our nation, we are committed to creating a clean economy by using cashless financial transactions. The menace of corruption and black money has adversely affected us for decades. Time to eliminate these for a better future. #MainBhiChowkidar #ChowkidarPhirSe," Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted.
 

Shah tweeted a campaign video to highlight people's efforts to keep their surroundings clean.

Modi had on Saturday urged his supporters to take the 'main bhai chowkidar' (I too am watchman) pledge, saying he is not alone in the fight against graft and social evils.

"Your chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," he wrote on Twitter.

 

Main Bhi Chowkidar campaign

'Main Bhi Chowkidar' has been started after extensive surveys and data analysis by BJP strategists who feel that Congress president Rahul Gandhi's 'chowkidar chor hai' jibe and campaign is not resonating among people. The surveys also suggested that it is actually angering people in the country, according to a release.

This campaign is expected to drive the narrative of the Prime Minister's strong and decisive image which multiple surveys have conveyed is the main factor in the upcoming elections, the release said.

Under the aegis of this campaign, the BJP has leveraged a tech innovation called conversation cards on Twitter, whereby people will get a personalized message from the Prime Minister on Twitter on participating in this campaign.

Prime Minister Modi is slated to interact with people from across the country on March 31 as a part of this campaign.

Countering Rahul Gandhi's attacks

The campaign counters Congress President Rahul Gandhi's repeated attacks on Modi and his government over various alleged mishandling of economic and defence deals and situations, with the slogan, "Chowkidar Chor Hai" (watchman is a thief).

"Five years ago, chowkidar said he wanted to fight corruption. He said he wanted to make it a 'Congress-mukt Bharat'. Today, the slogan of 'Acche Din Aayenge' has changed to 'Chowkidar chor hai'," Gandhi has been repeating at rallies.

Gandhi latched on to the word "chowkidar" as Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha campaigning promised to work as a "chowkidar" to guard people's money and their trust once elected.