Nowadays, Google trends have emerged as a new tool to determine the popularity of any individual, product, party or organization. Google Trends-based analysis is important for India because of the tremendous internet access, the country provides to its citizens. Around 512 million people in India have access to the Internet. These new Internet users spend a lot of time browsing on Google i.e. internet. The searches on Google reveal many things about their interests, passion, and choices. The way BJP is being searched in google broadly shows the rise in the stature of the party since it stormed to power in 2014. The interest of internet users in BJP witnesses a hike whenever elections are around the corner. According to Google trends, the BJP is the most searched party in India as well as overseas. In India, 64% Google searches are in favour of the BJP while only 36% goes in the favour of Congress. However, things are different in Pakistan where Congress seems to be the most popular political party. According to the Dainik Bhaskar report, in Pakistan, the Google searching for the Congress notches the 70% mark.
Congress being so popular in Pakistan is not surprising at all, given the fact that their leaders especially Mani Shankar Aiyar and Navjot Singh Sidhu have poured special love for the belligerent nation. One can easily recollect at this stage how Mani Shankar Aiyar, a senior Congress leader had requested the Pakistani establishment to topple down the Modi government from power. Thereafter, details of a suspicious meeting between senior Congress leaders and the Pakistani envoy without informing the Ministry of External Affairs in the past had also raised questions over the relationship between Pakistan and the Indian National Congress. What made this meeting even more suspicious is the fact that Prime Minister Modi alleged that guests at Aiyar’s house, including Manmohan Singh and Ansari, discussed the Gujarat election with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India and the former Pakistani Foreign Minister.
Recently, there were reports suggesting that active ads from the official Facebook page of the Indian National Congress were advertised in Pakistan. This incident once again showed that the Congress can go to any extent in order to settle scores with Prime Minister Modi. After the Congress party realized that its move might turn out to be a blunder and would definitely invite widespread public anger, it took down the advertisement.
Official Congress page sponsoring ads on Facebook in Pakistan to remove Modi! pic.twitter.com/F9hhMFEPzS
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) October 18, 2018
Video recording of Congress’s official page where it can be seen that they are running ‘मोदी हटाओ’ campaign in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/yny5P2VVMN
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) October 18, 2018
Recently, Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu not only attended the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan PM Imran Khan but also embraced the Pakistani Army Chief and chose to sit with the Prime Minister of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Sidhu appears to have forgotten that he was hugging someone who regularly conspires with terror outfits to destabilise India. The typical Grand Old Party syndrome of embracing Pakistanis anti-India emotions was therefore at the display.
Pakistan media celebrated BJP’s defeat, and the Congress’ victory in the recently concluded state assembly elections and this corroborates the fact that Pakistan and Congress share a very close relationship.
For more details: Pakistani media celebrates BJP’s defeat in Assembly polls
