Is BJP trying to recreate 'Chowkidar' moment?
The BJP is trying to recreate a ‘Chowkidar’ moment to puncture the Opposition campaign against the government on COVID-19 with Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressing virtual rallies in states with high migrant populations.
Shah addressed 'Bangla Jansamvad' rally in Kolkata on Tuesday to revive the attack on the Mamata Banerjee government on the issue of migrants, taking forward a well-crafted strategy of the party to take the sting out of the Opposition campaign of 'messy migrant management' during the COVID-19 against the government.
For the last few days, Shah has addressed three virtual public rallies in three states with high migrant population, Odisha, Bihar, and West Bengal, the last two going to polls within a year from now.
The pattern of Shah’s attack in all three rallies is similar to the BJP's spinning of Rahul Gandhi’s attack on Narendra Modi as an attack on the ‘Chowkidars’, who are low-income and are huge in numbers. The BJP's retaliation involved 'Main Bhi Chowkiar' campaign in public rallies, posters, and twitter hashtags, turning the table on the Opposition. The BJP ultimately ended up winning 2019 Lok Sabha polls with a far bigger margin than it had in 2014.
Shah, in another rally, accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee of insulting the poor migrant Bengalis who wanted to return home, by calling Shramik Express as 'Corona Express'.
Aware of the damage Opposition can cause with its campaign over migrants' issue, Shah sought to turn the table asking why the Congress did not bring development into Eastern India in the last 70 years, forcing lakhs of youths of the region to migrate in search of jobs.
On Monday he said that in Odisha, BJP workers' priority is to develop the state. He said: "We have to make this state, a state from where no one has to migrate to other places for livelihood. Only the BJP can do this."
As Opposition RJD in Bihar greeted Shah’s rally by clanking thalis, Shah on Sunday hailed Bihar migrants for having built the foundation of the nation and accused the Opposition of misleading them on the issue.
The BJP top brass has decided to take on the Opposition once again, linking the fight against COVID-19 with the nation's spirit of unity.
It first released a 30-page booklet titled "Who is trying to weaken India's fight against COVID?, slamming Opposition for indulging in politics when the nation was united in the fight against COVID-19.
The party then came out with a plan to hold 72 digital rallies and reach 10 crore households with Modi’s letter listing the government’s efforts to fight the pandemic. The party has pressed its various wings into action holding 500 additional rallies to supplement BJP’s counter-campaign on COVID-19.
Only time will tell whether Shah's aggressive attack on Opposition coupled with an announcement of a package by PM Modi and his Cabinet work for BJP, this time.
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