In reality, fashionable tag traces and catchy slogans have been an integral a part of BJP’s electoral journey proper from 2014 when it stormed to energy with the ballot cry “Ab Ki baar Modi Sarkar”.The BJP centred its marketing campaign round alleged corruption and value rise beneath the Congress-led UPA authorities, promising “Ache Din”, which the opposition claims by no means got here within the final 10 years.
In late 2013, when reviews on corruption, inflation, unemployment and nationwide safety dominated the discourse — BJP, beneath its anointed PM candidate Narendra Modi, meticulously formed its ballot narrative round “Acche Din Aane Waale Hain” (good days are about to come back).
A one-liner like “Abb Ki Baar Modi Sarkar” did magic for the occasion because it simply become profitable couplets, which linked with the plenty within the type of humour, sarcasm and even jibe on the ruling UPA led by the Congress occasion.
The emergence of social media round 2014 gave good impetus to this ballot technique of the BJP, and consequently, the occasion achieved its historic mandate by profitable 282 seats of the 543 Lok Sabha seats.
In 2019, when the BJP was making ready its report card to make sure a return to energy, the opposition launched a stinging assault on the central authorities over the Rafale fighter jets deal between India and France.
The opposition leaders, primarily the then Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, alleged that the deal concerned a “tainted transaction” because it bypassed standard process.
Within the backdrop of the Rafale controversy, the Congress scion drew an analogy that the chowkidaar (watchman) of the nation was himself the chor (thief) for having given alleged undue benefit to his “capitalist pals”. The Congress hit out at PM Modi with the “Chowkidaar Chor Hai” jibe.
Retaliating to the Congress’s assault, the BJP launched a counter-campaign “Meh Bhi Chowkidaar“, beneath which the PM and different BJP leaders, together with supporters added Chowkidaar because the prefix to their identify on social media. PM modified his identify to Chowkidaar Narendra Modi. The identical was adopted by different ministers.
Curiously, the “Meh Bhi Chowkidaar” marketing campaign grew to become Twitter’s prime development worldwide, hours after PM Modi launched it.
Persevering with together with his effort to place Rahul Gandhi on the backfoot over his “Chowkidaar Chor Hai” jibe, the Prime Minister additionally took potshots at Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of denigrating the neighborhood of watchmen.
PM Modi mentioned since his rivals lacked the center to call him instantly, they’re resorting to slogans which have put each watchman beneath the cloud.
Moreover, the Prime Minister gave out — Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai (with Modi, every part is feasible) – slogan forward of the 2019 nationwide polls, stressing the motion he ordered in opposition to Pakistan and his growth data.
This “Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai” grew to become one of many key ballot planks of the BJP. The air strikes in Pakistan dominated most of Modi’s speeches.
He mentioned his authorities avenged the Pakistan-orchestrated assault, not like the Congress authorities that did nothing after the 26/11 Mumbai assault and held again the safety forces from taking decisive actions within the nationwide curiosity.
On the identical traces of turning the opposition’s assault as its marketing campaign theme, the BJP in 2024 has used RJD’s supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav‘s dig at PM Modi’s household as one of many summer season polls premises.
Lalu Yadav, whereas addressing an INDIA bloc rally in Patna, lashed out at PM Modi for elevating the difficulty of dynastic politics and requested why the PM doesn’t have a household.
PM Narendra Modi, in a retort, mentioned that 140 crore Indians are his household, which set off an enormous “Modi Ka Parivar” marketing campaign by prime BJP leaders in what was seen as a powerful counter to Lalu Prasad’s “Modi has no household” comment throughout his occasion’s rally in Patna.
Presently, the BJP has been working its ballot marketing campaign on the “Modi Ki Assure”, highlighting the guarantees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he fulfilled.
PM Modi mentioned that the “Modi Ki Assure” means the assure of fulfilling ensures, which has additionally turn out to be a focus of the marketing campaign.
BJP has incessantly been utilizing the “assure” plank to record out the guarantees fulfilled by the central authorities, together with the main ones just like the Ram Mandir inauguration, Article 370 abrogation and the CAA implementation.
Whereas the chance across the achievability of the set goal stays debatable, one factor that has been on the coronary heart of BJP’s functioning is its profitable makes an attempt to push in opposition to the political assaults and jibes via its fashionable campaigns.
