BJP steps up 'Chowkidar' campaign

Stepping up the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign to counter the Congress, top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah on Sunday prefixed the word 'chowkidar' (guard) to their names on their Twitter profile.

Several leaders, including Union ministers and chief ministers, also put out short advertisement videos depicting how people from different walks of life have turned 'watchmen' to do their bit for the country.

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

"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 video to highlight people's efforts to keep their surroundings clean. Senior Ministers Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari also joined the campaign.

Modi had Saturday urged his supporters to take the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' (I too am a watchman) pledge, saying he is not alone in the fight against graft and social evils.

As the Congress criticised the campaign, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the Opposition party was indulging in "politics of abuses".

"They have stooped to a different level. They refer to the prime minister with phrases like 'gandi nali ka keeda', 'maut ka saudagar', 'natwar lal' and Hitler, among other remarks. They are free to indulge in this politics of abuse but the BJP will neither react nor retaliate. Let the public give its response in the upcoming elections," Javadekar said.

"They demean chaiwala, pakode wala and now chowkidar. It shows their mentality, thought process and DNA. If this is the level of debate they can bring to the table we would focus on work and not indulge in this culture of hurling abuses," he added.

Asked about the "Chowkidar" campaign while defaulters like Nirav Modi are on the run, he said, "they are on the run because they know that the chowkidar is here. If it was the UPA regime, they would have been happily flourishing here. They escaped because they knew that they are in trouble and we will make every effort to bring them back and hold them accountable for their actions."

The first phase of the Lok Sabha polls begins on April 11.