NEW DELHI: Following RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav’s personal criticism of Prime Minister Narendra that Modi lacked a family, BJP leaders and workers, ranging from National President JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah to those at the grassroots level, displayed their support for Modi by incorporating “Modi Ka Parivar” (Modi’s Family) into their social media profiles, including on the platform ‘X’, on Monday.
According to BJP sources, over 50 lakh party members nationwide showed their solidarity by identifying themselves as part of “Modi Ka Parivar.”
Initially, JP Nadda and Amit Shah updated their ‘X’ profiles to include “Modi Ka Parivar,” a move quickly followed by more than 1.5 lakh BJP leaders and workers across India. Prominent figures such as MEA S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Piyush Goyal, and Nitin Gadkari, along with grassroots workers, openly declared their affiliation with Modi Ka Parivar. This wave of support was not limited to BJP members; many Modi supporters also changed their social media profiles to reflect the slogan.
Leaders from Bihar were notably quick and unified in their support, prominently featuring “Modi Ka Parivar” on their platforms. In a press briefing later that day, BJP National Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi expressed disappointment over the opposition’s long-standing practice of launching personal attacks on Modi, which he described as “petty” and painful. He referenced a recent instance at a rally in Patna, where Lalu Prasad Yadav made disparaging remarks about Modi in front of INDIA alliance leaders.
On Monday, as BJP supporters publicly aligned themselves with “Modi Ka Parivar,” Prime Minister Modi, at a rally in Telangana, criticised the RJD and the INDIA alliance without naming them. He accused them of being engrossed in corruption, nepotism, and appeasement. Modi highlighted their nervous response to his criticisms of dynastic politics, countering claims of his lack of familial connections by stating, “140 crore countrymen are my family, and those without anyone also belong to the Modi family, as do I.”
This incident is not the first instance of personal attacks against Modi. In 2019, the opposition similarly targeted him with the slogan “Chowkidar Chor Hai” following Modi’s self-description as the nation’s “chowkidar” (watchman), particularly in relation to the Rafale fighter aircraft deal.