Spotlight: "Watchman" politics staged in India ahead of general elections

by Pankaj Yadav

NEW DELHI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A couple of days ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Main Bhi Chowkidar (I am Watchman Too) campaign, calling all those fighting corruption, social evils and working hard for the progress of India as "watchmen".

The Hindi word Chowkidar means watchman.

Modi has been describing himself as the country's watchman, claiming to be guarding the country against all ills, mainly corruption.

Ever since the launch of the campaign, Modi and all his cabinet ministers have prefixed the word Chowkidar with their names, especially on social media platform Twitter. Besides, prominent leaders of the main ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including its president Amit Shah, have also followed the trend and started describing themselves as "watchmen" on various social media platforms.

Over the past one year Indian politics has revolved around the word 'Chowkidar', especially after main opposition party Indian National Congress' (INC) president Rahul Gandhi began attacking Modi for "indulging in corruption" in the Rafale fighter jets deal (signed with France), often saying, "Watchman is the thief."

Gandhi alleged that Modi only introduced leading businessman Anil Ambani to the deal, thereby ensuring huge amount of financial benefits to him.

Rahul Gandhi has also been alleging that Modi only ensured the "safe exit" of a couple of top businessmen from the country, particularly Nirav Modi and Vijaya Mallaya, who owe huge amounts of debts to banks in India, running into millions of dollars.

On Saturday, Modi tweeted, "Your Chowkidar is standing firm and 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. 'Main Bhi Chowkidar'."

With the tweet, Modi also shared a 3.45-minute video titled Take The Pledge, urging people to join Modi on March 31 for a video program titled Main Bhi Chowkidar. In the video, Modi called himself a watchman and said that he was not alone, in a counter to INC president Rahul Gandhi's "Watchman is the Thief" jibe.

Reacting to Modi's political gimmick of playing around with the word Chowkidar, Rahul Gandhi quipped, "Initially PM Modi himself became the Watchman, now he wants to turn all countrymen into watchmen."

"Modi actually acted as a watchman for businessmen like Nirav Modi and Vijaya Mallaya who escaped from the country without paying their debts to banks," said Gandhi.

Meanwhile, sources in the BJP have revealed that the party plans to intensify the "I am Watchman Too" campaign in the next couple of days, by distributing T-shirts and caps among the public with the slogan ("I am Watchman Too") written on them. The party also plans to put up big hoardings with the slogan written in bold font.

On Wednesday, Modi is also scheduled to address nearly 2.5 million watchmen on the eve of festival of colors "Holi". Then, on March 31, he is also slated to interact with people from as many as 500 locations who have pledged their support his "watchman" campaign.

It is almost certain that Modi and his party the BJP has decided to play up the word "watchman" during the campaign in the run-up to the forthcoming general elections. In last elections, held in 2014, Modi had chosen to play up the word "Chaiwala" (Tea Seller) after one of the senior INC leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had mocked at Modi, saying, "Modi is only fit to distribute among Congressmen, he can never become India's prime minister."

Modi and the BJP took the "Tea Seller" comment in their stride and made it the high-point of their campaign ahead of 2014 general elections. This resulted in projecting Modi as a poor man having a perfect connect with the common man in the country, which finally resulted in massive and unprecedented victory for Modi and his party.

Perhaps taking a cue from its last election's campaign, the BJP and Modi wish to make "I am Watchman Too" the high-point of their campaign this time too, with the intent of winning their second consecutive election.

Results of the seven-phase elections, beginning April 11, are to be announced on May 23.