‘Berojgar Hardik Patel’: Patidar leader counters PM Modi’s ‘Mai Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign

Patidar leader and now Congress member Hardik Patel renamed his Twitter handle to ‘Berozgar Hardik Patel’. (Twitter/@HardikPatel_)

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mai Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign gained momentum among BJP leaders and supporters, Patidar leader and now Congress member Hardik Patel on Monday took a swipe at the ruling saffron party over unemployment by adding the prefix “Berojgar” (jobless) to his Twitter handle. Patel’s Twitter handle is now “Berojgar Hardik Patel”.

The renaming comes a day after the prime minister added the prefix “Chowkidar” to his Twitter handle. Modi, while launching the campaign on Saturday, had said, “Your Chowkidar is standing firm and serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar.”

Among the top party leader who had made the changes on their twitter handle include Railways minister Piyush Goyal, Health Minister JP Nadda and BJP president Amit Shah.

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Earlier in the day, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi had mocked the prime minister’s campaign, claiming that “Chowkidars are for the rich and not the farmers”.

“Unki marzi apne naam ke aage kya lagaen. Mujhe ek kisan ne kaha ki ‘dekhiye, chowkidar to ameeron ke hote hain. Hum kisaan to apne khud chowkidar hote hai (It is his wish to add anything before his name. A farmer had once told me that chowkidars are for the rich. Farmers are their own chowkidars),” the Congress leader said while addressing a crowd in eastern Uttar Pradesh.