Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram 
Special 
Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he was a proud andolan jeevi (someone who thrives on protests) after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remarks in the Rajya Sabha. He accepted the term as a badge of honour and tweeted, "I am a proud andolan jeevi. The quintessential andolan jeevi was Mahatma Gandhi."
I am a proud andolan jeevi. The quintessential andolan jeevi was Mahatma Gandhi.#iamanandolanjeevi
P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 10, 2021
Not only Chidambaram, advocate Meena Kandasamy and Congress' social media coordinator Gaurav Pandhi also expressed pride in being andolan jeevis and changed their profile names to andolanjeevi dr. meena kandasamy and Gaurav Pandhi-Andolanjeevi. Former diplomat KC Singh took a jibe at the Prime Minister via a tweet.
PM Modi concedes his parent organisation RSS werent #Andolanjeevi during freedom struggle. Thats what opposition has alleged. Main Ldrs of BJP were arrested during emergency. But true non-believer in non-violent protest grew a beard, tied turban & hid.
K. C. Singh (@ambkcsingh) February 8, 2021
Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav attacked PM Modi on his 'andolan jeevi' remark and went onto call the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party as 'chanda jeevis', meaning those who survive on donations. Yadav said in Parliament, "That 'andolans' or protests have given India several rights and several leaders. In fact, India gained independence due to protests. If people who protest are 'andolan jeevis', then BJP leaders are 'chanda jeevis', who brandish their flag to collect donations ever so often."
The new term coined by the Prime Minister was welcomed by some people such as BJP MP from Bengaluru Central PC Mohan, entrepreneur Nikhil Nanda and Former Governor of Tripura and Meghalaya Tathagata Roy.
Word of the year
P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) February 8, 2021
Feb 08, 2021
Andolanjeevi
Adjective [ Aandolanjeevi ]
One who cannot live without protests and its members continually keep finding ways to stoke protests.
Eg: He's been an Andolanjeevi for many years!@ShefVaidya #PMinRajyaSabha #andolanjivi pic.twitter.com/ySniNu4u0p
#andolanjivi we now have a name for the same set of people seen doing forum shopping at various protest sites, cant do anything on their own but join the bandwagon for their 5 minutes of footage, and cause whatever disruption possible. #PMinRajyaSabha #andolanjeevi pic.twitter.com/7iifU2ML3u
Nikhil Nanda (@iamnikhilnanda) February 8, 2021
Brilliant coinage by @narendramodi Reminds me of an incident when I was Governor of Tripura. #Andolanjeevi
Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) February 8, 2021
When the Broad Gauge railway connection to Agartala was being inaugurated,in the public meeting the then Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said,all this was made possible by
PM Modi said while replying to The Motion of Thanks on President's address in the Rajya Sabha, "We are well aware of some terms like 'shram jeevi' and 'buddhi jeevi'. But I am seeing that for some time a new entity has come up in this country- andolan jeevi. This community can be spotted wherever there is a protest, be it agitation by lawyers, students, or labourers, sometimes at the forefront and sometimes from behind. They cannot live without protests. We have to identify such people and protect the nation from them. They are parasites."
Also read: Over 500 accounts suspended, no action on accounts of journalists, activists, politicians: Twitter
Copyright©2025 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today
