Intensifying his ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday interact with people, who have pledged their support to the movement, from 500 places across the country, including 15 in Jharkhand.

Modi will interact with people from different walks of life, including BJP leaders and allies, professionals and farmers, through video-conference from 5pm.

Barring Jamshedpur where two places have been selected, all the other 13 parliamentary constituencies in the state will have one location each where people will gather for the event.

State urban development minister C.P. Singh on Saturday told reporters that Ranchi chowkidars had been asked to assemble at Karam Chowk in Vidya Nagar located near the Harmu rivulet in the heart of the city.

When Singh was asked to define a chowkidar, his answer was people involved in providing security.

“Those who ensure security are chowkidars. After our prime minister declared himself a chowkidar, crores of people across the country started identifying themselves as one too. In the last 30 days, over a crore BJP supporters identified themselves as chowkidars on social media. All are expected to remain present during the video-conferencing,” Singh said.

To a query on 10,000 actual chowkidars facing a bleak future in Jharkhand, the minister initially tried to evade the question before promising immediate action to address their woes.

“The issue of non-payment of salary has just come into my knowledge. I will ask the chief secretary to look into the matter,” Singh said.

For the past four months, these chowkidars across 24 districts — each of who monitors 10 villagers under one thana — have not been paid their salaries. Each chowkidar gets a salary of Rs 20,000.

Chowkidars, who report to their senior dafadars, have been part of the policing system in India right from the British era after the Village Chowkidar Act was enacted in 1870. Jharkhand government has dedicated a separate cadre for them. The 10,000 chowkidars apart, there are nearly 200 dafadars who get some Rs 22,000 a month. Even they have not been paid for four months.

BJP state spokesperson Pratul Nath Shahdeo, who was also present at the news meet, expressed concern over Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s alleged attempt to defame the word.

“After Rahul starting using the word chowkidar to defame the prime minister, the real watchmen have started feeling ashamed,” Shahdeo said.