Around 200 people marched through central Delhi on Sunday under the slogan "Modi Ji Kahin Nahi Ja Rahe Bro!" (Modi ji is not going anywhere, bro), in a show of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi organised by the Lal Hit Janta Party. The march, which began at Rajghat and concluded at Ramlila Maidan, coincided with the opposition INDIA bloc's 'Chalo Dilli' protest at the same venue, setting up a day of competing demonstrations in the national capital.
According to an official statement issued by the party, the march was led by Ayan Bhatnagar, founder and convener of the Lal Hit Janta Party. Participants carried banners, posters and placards expressing support for the prime minister and highlighting their views on the country's development and constitutional values.
The statement said the march was aimed at conveying the party's message of "Rashtra Pratham" (Nation First), its support for the country's development agenda and its commitment to the Constitution and democratic values.
The march began at Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, and made its way to Ramlila Maidan, the historic protest ground in central Delhi. The choice of route was itself symbolic, linking a site associated with the father of the nation to a ground that has hosted some of the capital's most famous political gatherings.
By ending at Ramlila Maidan, the marchers placed themselves at the same venue where the opposition alliance was holding its own rally, a juxtaposition that ensured the two events would be reported together.
The timing was no coincidence. The opposition INDIA bloc's 'Chalo Dilli' protest at Ramlila Maidan was organised against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision exercise. Leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav addressed the opposition gathering, which accused the Election Commission of failing to protect the integrity of voter lists.
The Lal Hit Janta Party's march, held on the same day and ending at the same ground, offered a counter-narrative: support for the prime minister and for the constitutional order that the opposition was criticising.
The party's statement also framed the march as an expression of political opposition to the Congress, with participants raising concerns over what it described as the political narrative surrounding the prime minister and the country's development. The march, the statement said, reflected the party's commitment to peaceful democratic participation, public awareness and constitutional values.
It reiterated that the demonstration was intended as a peaceful expression of support, not a confrontation with the opposition rally.
The Lal Hit Janta Party is a relatively new and little-known outfit, and its name has itself attracted attention. The party is apparently named after a popular insect-control brand, in what has been described as a satirical counter to the Cockroach Janata Party, another recently emerged outfit that has organised protests against the Election Commission.
The playful naming reflects a newer style of political theatre in Delhi, in which small groups use humour, slogans and social media-friendly branding to gain attention alongside much larger parties.
The outfit had already made an appearance in the capital days earlier. Around 200 people gathered at Janpath in central Delhi on a Friday to condemn alleged assaults on police personnel and the use of abusive language against the prime minister at protests, a day before the Cockroach Janata Party was scheduled to hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar. That gathering was also organised by the Lal Hit Janata Party, with Ayan Bhatnagar representing the outfit.
"Even if someone abuses an outsider, we tend to stop them. The prime minister is part of our own family, and using such language against him is unacceptable," Bhatnagar said at the time, arguing that abusing national heroes, soldiers and Delhi Police personnel must stop and that strict action should be taken against those responsible.
The back-to-back appearances suggest a deliberate strategy: to position the party as a counter-voice whenever protests target the prime minister or the Election Commission. In a capital where large opposition demonstrations dominate headlines, a small, disciplined march of 200 people with a catchy slogan can still earn coverage, particularly when it ends at the same venue as the main event.
The slogan itself, mixing respectful address ("Modi ji") with casual, youthful slang ("bro"), is designed for the social media age, easily chanted, easily printed on a placard and easily shared online.
The broader context is a period of heightened political mobilisation in Delhi. The opposition's campaign against the Election Commission, centred on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, has produced a series of protests, marches and rallies in the capital, with heavy police deployment, barricading and disruptions to movement in central Delhi.
Supporters of the government, in turn, have organised counter-demonstrations, arguing that the protests unfairly target constitutional institutions and the prime minister. The Lal Hit Janta Party's march fits into this pattern of action and counter-action, in which each side's demonstration is staged with an eye on the other's.
For the participants, the march was also an assertion of a particular vision of democratic participation. The party's statement emphasised peaceful participation, public awareness and constitutional values, language that echoes the mainstream vocabulary of Indian politics but is deployed here by a small, new organisation seeking a foothold.
Whether the party grows beyond these symbolic marches remains to be seen, but its ability to organise two visible gatherings in quick succession suggests an ambition that goes beyond a single slogan.
The day's twin demonstrations at Ramlila Maidan captured something essential about Delhi's political life: the same ground can host opposing messages within hours, and the contest is as much about imagery and slogans as it is about policy. The opposition rally sought to project mass anger over electoral rolls. The Lal Hit Janta Party's march sought to project loyalty to the prime minister and confidence in the constitutional order.
Both used the same historic venue, and both claimed to speak for democratic values, though they meant very different things by the phrase.
As the debate over electoral rolls continues, further demonstrations from both sides are likely, and small outfits like the Lal Hit Janta Party may continue to find space in the margins of larger confrontations.
Their marches may be modest in size, but their slogans are built to travel, and in a political environment shaped by social media, a phrase like "Modi Ji Kahin Nahi Ja Rahe Bro!" can reach far beyond the 200 people who chanted it on the road from Rajghat to Ramlila Maidan.
(Reporting based on Deccan Herald, Lokmat Times and ABP Live.)