congress-slogan-modi-chor-has-potential-to-boomerang

One may agree or disagree with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies and worldview. But one thing that is undoubtedly clear is his personal integrity, which is above board. You can hurl any allegations and any charges against him, but you cannot question his personal integrity. You may question his choice of “expensive clothes” by saying “suit-boot ki sarkar”, that may be acceptable. But hurling a charge like “Modi is a thief” (Modi chor hai) has the grave potential to boomerang, something like “Maut ka saudagar” that the then Congress president Ms Sonia Gandhi described him as during Gujarat elections in 2007, and it eventually boomeranged on the Congress.

 

The Congress has launched an aggressive campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, claiming that the exercise has been deliberately launched to disenfranchise the underprivileged voters like the Dalits, the minorities, the backwards, and the migrant labourers, who, the Congress presumes, do not vote for the BJP.

 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been trying to draw parallels with alleged “voter frauds” in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana. He has built up an argument that the Bharatiya Janata Party, in collusion with the Election Commission of India, added about one crore voters, although most of his party colleagues put the figure around 65–70 lakhs only, after the parliamentary elections held in May 2024. This, he says, helped the BJP to win the assembly elections which were held about six months after the parliamentary elections.

 

To prove his charge of voter fraud he presented a case study, not from Maharashtra, but from Karnataka where he picked up Mahadevapura assembly segment falling under the Bengaluru Central parliamentary constituency for the “voter fraud” study. Gandhi claimed that there were about one lakh “fake voters” in that particular assembly segment, from where the BJP candidate established substantial lead to win the Bengaluru Central parliamentary constituency. Nobody has asked him so far why he chose a constituency in Karnataka instead of Maharashtra to prove his voter fraud charge in that state (Maharashtra).

 

Gandhi, during his ongoing ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, has been frequently referring to Maharashtra “voter fraud”, and arguing that this has been happening everywhere across the country. He claims that the election results are always contrary to the mood among the people and the projections in opinion and exit polls, although that is not correct. None of the opinion or exit polls suggested contrary results as claimed by him. Rather, the opinion and exit polls projected better performance for the BJP than what it actually did.

 

Gandhi appears to have twin motives in trying to build up a narrative of “electoral fraud” across the country. One, so far, he has not let the BJP capitalise on the ‘Operation Sindhoor’. The BJP has a special expertise in exploiting and capitalising on such issues. Till now, the BJP has been put on the defensive to defend the SIR.

 

Two, there is a long-term strategy for the Congress. It has certainly so far not succeeded in denting the image of Prime Minister Modi, who led his party to win the third consecutive General Election in 2024. Besides, he had earlier led the party to win three consecutive elections in Gujarat also. He has so far remained invincible for the Congress despite the party levelling so many charges and allegations against him.

 

As of now, the Congress does not seem to be in any position to challenge his popularity or present an alternative to him. Despite always being harshly critical of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Congress had laid so many hopes on its (the RSS’) supremo Mohan Bhagwat’s suggestion, made a month ago, that people should retire after 75. Modi will be 75 on September 17. There is no indication of his calling it a day. The Congress had started believing in Bhagwat that Modi was on his way out.

 

Under such circumstances, when the Congress realises that it is almost impossible to defeat Modi, the party is now trying to build the narrative that he (Modi) is not winning because of his performance and popularity, but only because he has corrupted and manipulated the electoral system in collusion with the Election Commission of India. This, of course, is far from the truth and unlikely to appeal to the neutral masses.

 

As long as Rahul has cheerleaders within his party and some alliance partners like the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, who resonate with his sentiments, he feels happy. But the matter does not end there. Gandhi does not need to appeal or impress people like Tejashwi Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav. They are already “impressed” with him, for whatever reasons. Their cadres and supporters can buy anything and everything against Modi. Rather, they don’t need to be sold anything against him.

 

It is actually the “swinging voters” who matter. The hardcore cadre voters, whether belonging to the Congress, the RJD, the SP, or even the BJP, will continue to stick to their respective parties irrespective of what narrative is made to prevail around. If the Congress and Gandhi want to dislodge Modi and the BJP, they will need to appeal to those “in the middle” who can, and who do, swing from one side to another. This section of the voters is normally well-informed and does not have any particular preferences or prejudices. This section forms opinions based on knowledge and information, and votes according to what it feels and believes is right. It is difficult for this section to accept that “Modi is a thief” (Modi chor hai) just because Rahul Gandhi is saying so. They will need to be convinced that he really is a thief, as alleged by Gandhi.

 

This slogan, as already mentioned, has the potential of further consolidating the “floating section” of the voters around Modi. If Gandhi has decided to level an allegation against Modi, he should be able to at least convince those he is targeting, and they certainly are not his own supporters and cadres or those of his allies. He has to target the neutral voters, who will need to be convinced with convincing arguments and not vague rhetoric.

Maybe Gandhi and his advisers and cheerleaders have some well-thought-out plan.