New Delhi: The Congress, which has scoffed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Main Bhi Chowkidar(I am a watchman too)" campaign, today took a fresh dig at his government and the BJP.
"Word of advice: always run a background check on your chowkidars," the Congress tweeted from its official Twitter handle. The tweet also had screenshots of the Twitter accounts of PM Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and former minister MJ Akbar.
The Congress said India doesn't need a government of chowkidars(watchmen). "India needs a Prime Minister & a Govt that doesn't ignore but accepts & works towards finding a solution for the huge jobs crises plaguing our nation. India, Beware of these Chowkidars(sic)," the party tweeted.
The Congress tweeted caricatures of PM Modi, Union Minister Smriti Irani, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP chief Amit Shah.
The party also added a hashtag: #ChowkidarNahiRozgaarChahiye (not watchmen but employment is needed).
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly used the phrase "chowkidar chor hai (the watchman is a thief)" while accusing PM Modi of corruption and crony capitalism in the Rafale fighter jet deal. It was this that inspired the BJP's fightback in the form of the "Main Bhi Chowkidar" campaign.
PM Modi launched the campaign on Sunday, adding the prefix to his Twitter account. On cue, several BJP leaders did the same; by now there is hardly a prominent BJP account without Chowkidar before a name. The campaign is a runaway hit, said the BJP, and the hashtag was tweeted over 20 lakh times.
Today, Mr Gandhi hit out at PM Modi, accusing him of not thinking about the welfare of watchmen, "behind whom you are hiding". In a Facebook post, Mr Gandhi tagged a media report about 10,000 watchmen protesting against poor wages. "At least, think about those behind whom you are hiding," he said in the post.
Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, other opposition leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accuse the Prime Minister of using the "chowkidar" campaign to distract focus from the lack of jobs and farmer crisis.