It is beginning to look like the plot of a very confusing movie. Remember when Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a rally in Meerut, "terrorists and their supporters across the border are today praying they somehow get rid of the chowkidar and the mahamilawati (he calls the Opposition impure) come to power in Delhi.”
Well, looks like Pakistan PM Imran Khan feels differently. On Wednesday, 10 April, Khan said that he thinks there may be a better chance of peace talks with India if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP-led government wins the general elections.
“Perhaps if the BJP wins, some kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached,” Khan told a group of foreign journalists in an interview.
Twitterati had a field day with this unexpected remark. Imran Khan’s ‘love’ for PM Modi and his open endorsement led Twitter to ridicule the BJP’s stand and Modi’s earlier remarks on Pakistan.
One Twitter user said Pakistan has begun campaigning for the BJP and Modi.
Chowkidar Imran?
Some Twitter users also asked if Imran Khan would add ‘Chowkidar’ to his name.
Was Everything Planned?
Twitter was also rife with speculation and conspiracy theories: ‘Did the Jaish strike in Pulwama to facilitate a Modi win?’
National Security Analyst Mandeep Singh Bajwa also voiced doubts about the Pulwama attack. “ Was it launched by the ISI so that Modi gains the high ground on national security and thereby a overwhelming narrative for the elections?” he asked.
Another Twitter user said Pakistan is openly supporting Modi as the next PM as a “weak government in India suits their agenda”.
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha asked, “What’s the secret deal for this public endorsement?”
What If Imran Had Named Congress?
Journalist Geeta Mohan said if Imran Khan had named the Congress instead of Modi, pro-Pak labels would have been flying.
Journalist Rohini Singh also said if the same had been said about Rahul Gandhi, TV anchors would have been “shrieking like banshees about how Pakistan wants Congress!”
Is BJP The New ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’, Twitter Wonders?
Economist Rupa Subramanya and Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said by the logic of the BJP, this means they are the new ‘tukde tukde gang’ as Pakistan supports them.
‘Imran Is Wily’
Some Twitter users joked that Imran Khan knows Modi can ‘single handedly destroy the secular, plural image of India’ and that is why he wants Modi to be the PM again.
Meanwhile, Modi supporters are trying to spin the remark by saying this is Imran Khan’s “ploy to taint Modi’s image”. Some said Imran Khan is “endorsing Modi because he is scared of Modi”.
But Imran Khan did say he favours Modi as India’s PM, and this just puts an end to the BJP’s ‘Pakistan and Opposition is in cahoots’ narrative that has been the highlight of many of their election rallies.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)