It was ‘Chaiwala’ in 2014, ‘Chowkidar’ in 2019 and now it is ‘Parivaar’. The Opposition seems to have conceded another full toss to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Lok Sabha election. This time too, the BJP won’t lose the chance to make this a mass public campaign.
“This will become a mass movement. People from all walks of life could associate with the new phrase ‘Modi Ka Parivaar’ and this could be another emotive connect of the PM with common people,” a senior BJP leader told News18.
Nearly all BJP leaders and thousands of BJP workers have added ‘Modi Ka Parivaar’ to their social media handles. “Common people will make it (the campaign) bigger. People know how the PM has been addressing them as ‘parivaar-jan‘ (family members) in recent months. Now, people would closely relate with the same,” another senior BJP leader told News18. Celebrities may well amplify the campaign as well.
It was Mani Shankar Aiyyar of the Congress who had set the tone for the BJP ahead of the 2014 general elections with his infamous ‘chaiwala‘ jibe at Modi. The BJP pitched the election as one being fought by a commoner against the family dynasty of the Gandhis.
In 2019, Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at Modi saying “Chowkidaar Chor Hai” to allege a scam in the purchase of the Rafale fighter jets. The BJP turned the tables then too, with Modi saying “Main Bhi Chowkidaar” and all BJP leaders taking that line to attack the Congress. Personal attacks against PM Modi have never worked and, in fact, have boomeranged on the political opponents.
While people related to Modi’s commoner image in 2014, they did not believe Gandhi’s corruption allegations against Modi in 2019 given the PM’s clean record and “na khaunga, na khane dunga‘ motto. The BJP has made the spotless and corruption-free political career of Modi over the last 23 years the centerpiece of its campaign in 2024.
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has sent the ‘parivaar‘ jibe to the BJP way too, only helping the saffron party sharpen its political narrative. The PM did not lose even 24 hours to now attack Lalu after the latter said on Sunday that Modi had no family and hence was taking potshots of dynasty politics against his opponents. Modi has led the way in getting empathy from the people, saying they are his family and he stands with even those who do not have anyone.
This development will also make the BJP’s campaign against dynasty politics more effective as it puts the likes of RJD, SP, DMK and Congress in the dock for protecting their family interests while Modi stands for a much larger cause of Bharat. This is a self-goal like none other by the INDIA bloc.
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