On Monday, BJP leaders added ‘Modi ka Parivar’ ( Modi’s family) with their names on social media handles after RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, while addressing a rally of the I.N.D.I A bloc in Patna, launched a personal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and commented that the PM did not have a family or a children.
This step of Yadav, who is one of the most prominent visible faces of I.N.D.I A bloc is being seen and described as a development that is likely to help the BJP in the coming election and is being compared to the a similar political statement that was made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during 2019 polls when he had, while alluding to Modi, commented that ‘Chowkidar chor hai’ (The guard is the thief). After that the BJP members had started a campaign, ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ ( I am also a guard).
Lalu Yadav, while addressing the Jan Vishwas Rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, which saw the participation of prominent alliance leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Left leaders, had attacked Modi for him repeatedly accusing the I.N.D.I A bloc leaders of promoting dynastic politics.
“Yeh Modi kya hai, Modi koi cheez hai? Narendra Modi Parivar vaad par bolta hai aur kitne netao ko kitna santan hai ginata rehta hai,hum kya kare tumhare pass Parivar nahee hai to” (Who is Narendra Modi? He is accusing us of dynasty politics. If Modi doesn’t have his own family, what can we do? Why doesn’t he have children?) the former Bihar Chief Minister had remarked.
He had further gone to add that Modi was not even a true Hindu. “According to Hindu traditions, a son should shave his head and beard when his parents die. When Modi’s mother passed away, he did not do that.”
Responding to the barb, Modi on Monday while addressing a rally in Adilabad in Telangana, said that the opposition leaders have started targeting him because he questioned the dynastic politics that they follow. “When I questioned the dynastic politics they follow, these people have now started saying that Modi has no family. Now the entire country is saying that they are my family. My life is like an open book. People of the country know about it. When I left home in my childhood, I left with a dream that I will live for the countrymen. The 140 crore people of this country are my family. Mera Bharat mera parivar hai,” (My India is my family),” he said.
Soon after the BJP members added the ‘Modi’s family’ wordings on their profile.
According to a Patna-based senior journalist Law Kumar Mishra, who was present in the Sunday rally, the statement by the senior RJD leader should not have been made as it was a personal attack in bad taste and it is likely to help the BJP electorally in the coming elections.
“People do not appreciate such remarks on family and parents and it is clear that Yadav went beyond the acceptable limit of civilised political speech. Infact, this statement by him is likely to help the BJP in the coming days as there is a strong resentment against the policy of dynastic politics that the state has seen for the last few decades. Modi’s political opponents should have realized by now that one of the key reasons for attraction of Modi among the middle and the financially weaker class, ever since he entered politics during his days in Gujarat, is that he does not promote nepotism and does not have any family members in politics. And so, people trust him as he is seen has someone who is not into politics for his personal or family gain,” Mishra said.