Countering PM's 'Andolanjeevi' Rahul Gandhi comes up with new coinage-'crony jeevi'

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his political coinage 'Andolankari' for the first time to target Oppositions and some section of protesters in the Parliament on Monday, the word became viral on social media with some hitting back at the PM too.

In the backdrop of the support to the farmers' protest by social activists, political groups and even international celebrities as well as teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, Modi on Monday said in the Rajya Sabha, "A new entity has come up in the country- 'Andolanjeevi'. They can be spotted wherever there is a protest, be it agitation by lawyers, students, or labourers, explicitly or implicitly."

He once against used his coinage on Wednesday while making an address in the Lok Sabha and said the country needs to differentiate 'Andolanjeevi' from 'Andolankaari' (protesters)."Today we see andolanjeevis spoil the peaceful protest of andolankaaris. We must all know the difference. Holding posters of Naxals, terrorists, and those in jail for harming the nation amid the farmers' peaceful protests - is that not harming the farmers' cause?" Modi said in what appeared to be a dig at Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

What followed was an angry protest by the Oppositions and walkout by Congress and Trinamool Congress as the PM mentioned that the slogan-shouting "was a planned strategy to drown out reason and hide the truth".

The Congress party has been long supporting the farmers' demand for the complete repeal of the farm laws.

Soon after PM Modi's use of 'Andolanjeevi' again in the Parliament, senior Congress member P Chidambaram tweeted to say he was a "proud andolanjeevi", and the "quintessential andolanjeevi was Mahatma Gandhi."

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also joined the war of words with a variation and attacking what he has often called "cronies".

"Crony-jeevi is someone who is selling the country," Gandhi tweeted taking a stand for the farmers, who have alleged companies will be able to control the farm market once the laws are implemented.

Since Nov 26, 2020, thousands of farmers have gathered at the border of Delhi protesting against the three new farm laws which were enacted by the Centre through an Ordinance and later controversially passed by Parliament.