State BJP leaders join party’s chowkidar social media campaign

Team Udayavani, Mar 18, 2019, 7:24 AM IST

Bengaluru:  State BJP leaders on Sunday, March 17 joined the party’s chowkidar social media poll campaign, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi added chowkidar to his Twitter handle profile and asked people to take the #MainBhiChowkidar pledge against corruption.

State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa, Union ministers D V Sadananda Gowda, and Ananth Kumar Hegde, MPs Shobha Karandlaje, Pratap Simha, Prahlad Joshi and many others took on a new identity — Chowkidar — with a prefix to their account names. 

BS Yeddyurappa on his Twitter timeline tweeted, “I am proud to join #MainBhiChowkidar movement. As a citizen who loves India, I shall do my best to defeat corruption, dirt, poverty & terrorism and help create a New India which is strong, secure & prosperous. (sic)” said a tweet on B S Yeddyurappa’s Twitter timeline. 

I am proud to join #MainBhiChowkidar movement. As a citizen who loves India, I shall do my best to defeat corruption, dirt, poverty & terrorism and help create a New India which is strong, secure & prosperous.

— Chowkidar B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) March 16, 2019

Most Twitter accounts followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal account had changed their name to accommodate Chowkidar as their handle names. This campaign is expected to reach more people in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. 

Chowkidar is a term often used by the PM to describe his role at the Centre as a watchdog against corruption as well as his hands-on style of work.

However, the Congress, which has alleged corruption to the tune of several thousand crore in the Rafale fighter jet purchase deal, has been hitting back with the slogan “chowkidar chor hai” (watchman is a thief).

The ruling BJP has now turned the watchman moniker into Lok Sabha poll campaign ammunition by asking people to use it along with their names on social media platforms.