Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged his supporters to take the 'main bhi chowkidar' (I too am watchman) pledge, saying he is not alone in the fight against graft and social evils. And within hours the campaign became Twitter's top worldwide trend.
"Your Chowkidar is standing firm & 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," he wrote on Twitter.
He also posted a short video to drive home his message. Modi has often described himself as a "chowkidar" who would neither allow corruption nor get corrupted himself.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly hurling the "chowkidar chor hai"(watchman is the thief) jibe at Modi to claim irregularities and favouritism in the Rafale fighter jet deal, a charge the BJP-led government has rejected. Soon after Modi's tweet, Rahul mocked him and tweeted, "Defensive tweet Mr Modi! You feeling a little guilty today" while a tagging a picture of Modi along with businessmen such as Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, Anil Ambani and Gautam Adani.