PM Modi asks for donations to BJP, Twitterati reminds him of ₹15 lakh promise

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi donated ₹1000 to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through Narendra Modi app and urged citizens for contributing to his party. But the Prime Minister’s appeal seems to have backfired if social media reactions are anything to go by.

“You can contribute any amount from ₹5/- to ₹1000/- via the ‘Narendra Modi Mobile App.’ Your support and contribution will strengthen the resolve of our Karyakartas to serve the nation,” Modi tweeted, days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a campaign to gather funds through a door to door campaign.

Many conscientious Twitter users viewed Narendra Modi’s appeal as unbecoming for a sitting Prime Minister. “A sitting prime minister of India doesn’t have any shame to ask the public to donate for his party,” Ravi Nair wrote on Twitter, reminding, “And don’t forget, it is this gent who assured anonymity to political donors through various means. Don’t fall for his drama. This is just another trick to make ppl believe BJP didn’t amass huge wealth under his regime.”

Asking if it is at all constitutional for a serving Prime Minister to solicit donations for his party, senior advocate Indira Jaising wondered if Modi’s appeal for donations to BJP indicated “collapsing distinction between the Government and party?”

However, his appeal has elicited many unanticipated and humourous response from witty Twitter users. Many of them were quick to remind PM Modi of 2014 Lok Sabha polls when before becoming Mrime Minister, he had promised to bring back black money from abroad and deposit ₹15 lakh to every citizen's bank account.

Watch the video here:

Pertinently, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a Delhi-based think tank, had recently declared BJP as the richest among seven national parties. Referring to BJP's new headquarters, which is said to be bigger than the office of any other political party in the world, many users wondered how the richest political party of the country was still asking for donations. Here’s a collection of some reactions: