War of the topis: BJP activists don AAP-style caps, in saffron

How do you respond to senior BJP leaders denying that they’re suffering from a case of nerves about the Aam Aadmi Party, even after a large group of Bharatiya Janata Party activists show up for a function in Gujarat wearing saffron coloured Gandhi topis, now popularised as the Main Hoon Aam Aadmi topi? [caption id=“attachment_1299235” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Narendra Modi. Reuters[/caption] According to reports over the weekend, a function in Gandhinagar commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda saw BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in attendance with his entire Cabinet of ministers. Apparently taking a cue from the AAP headgear, the participants at the function wore Gandhi caps which bore the words, “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” or One India, Ideal India. Modi, however, was not wearing the cap. Earlier, on Friday, BJP activists reportedly turned up at Rajghat in Delhi wearing the saffron Gandhi caps, this time bearing the words: Modi for PM. Asked about the inspiration from the Aam Aadmi Party, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is reported to have said: “The caps have always been an integral part of BJP’s campaign. We have not imitated any party nor are the caps a patent right of anyone.” But the BJP’s contests with the Aam Aadmi Party have only just begun. In fact, at the function, revenue minister Anandiben Patel reportedly told those gathered that the municipality of Surat has been providing every family with 1,000 litres of water daily, at a much lower cost, well ahead of the Delhi chief minister’s initiatives for water supply in the capital city. Anandiben, known to be a close associate of the Gujarat CM, also reportedly asked why the fad of the AAP topis had picked up when it was clear that Surat was better than Delhi. Needless to say, AAP’s late entry into the 2014 Lok Sabha elections would have skewed Modi’s calculations, which means that a late course correction in campaign strategy for the BJP’s prime ministerial aspirant is now unavoidable. Only last week, AAP claimed that it had signed up over 1.25 lakh members across Gujarat in a span of just 10 days. Similar claims have been made by units conducting enrollment drives in the states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This comes soon after it was reported that the Gujarat government is keeping a close eye on the activities of the Aam Aadmi Party in the state. The Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) submitted a confidential report on the AAP’s voter awareness drive early this month. Reports also suggested that the Delhi BJP has been instructed to launch an aggressive campaign against AAP soon. Modi had hoped to win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi (currently held by the Congress), riding on a massive anti-incumbency wave, but that looks far from possible now in the post Assembly election scenario in the capital city. “Delhi’s seats are psychologically and strategically important for Modi,” the report quoted sources as sayin