Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 16 March, tweeted a video launching 'Mai Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He tweeted that every Indian who is fighting corruption, dirt and social evils is a ‘chowkidar’ along with him.
The prime minister will reportedly interact with people from across the country on 31 March, as part of the campaign.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his party often use “chowkidar chor hai” (the watchman is a thief) to attack the prime minister over alleged corruption in the Rafale deal.
PM Modi often refers to himself as the "chowkidar" of India, prompting the jibe from the Opposition.
Following Modi’s tweet on Saturday, Gandhi took to Twitter to ask if the prime minister was “feeling guilty.” He also termed Modi’s tweet “defensive.”
The general elections will be held in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)