Piyush Goyal recalls how Piyush Pandey coined ‘Ab ki Baar, Modi Sarkar’

New Delhi: In a heartfelt recollection, Union Minister Piyush Goyal shared how veteran adman Piyush Pandey came to create one of India’s most iconic political slogans, “Ab ki Baar, Modi Sarkar,” a line that went on to define the 2014 general election campaign and alter the course of Indian political advertising forever.

Speaking about the campaign’s genesis at the prayer meet held for the late Piyush Pandey, Goyal recounted how he had approached Pandey to lend his creative vision to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election campaign. 

Despite his reputation as one of India’s most influential creative minds, Pandey was known for his reluctance to associate with political work.

Goyal recalled the adman’s initial reluctance to work on a political campaign. “For six or seven hours, I kept persuading him, refusing to leave his home, but he still said no. I went back disappointed,” Goyal said. 

He reminisced that he had sensed Pandey’s hesitation stemmed not from disinterest, but from the weight of the responsibility such a campaign carried. “I think he was also understanding that I was very unhappy,” Goyal said, describing the tense but respectful exchange between two longtime friends.

The next morning, however, came a turning point. “He called me and said, ‘Partner, I thought a lot last night. I will do it. The country needs it’.” 

According to Goyal, that was the moment Pandey decided to take on what would become a defining creative challenge of his career, one he accepted not as a project, but as a national duty.

“He would never normally do political campaigns, but this one he took on as a responsibility for the country,” Goyal said.

It was during one such brainstorming session that lightning struck. “I still remember the Eureka moment,” Goyal said. “He comes up with ‘Ab ki Baar, Modi Sarkar,’ and he created history.”

The slogan, just four words long, encapsulated the aspirations of an entire nation looking for change. It became the rallying cry of a campaign that broke through traditional political communication barriers, turning into a cultural and conversational phenomenon.

Over time, as the slogan achieved near-mythic status, several people and agencies claimed credit for its creation. 

Goyal admitted that this often made him angry. “Many people often took credit that they created this slogan. And I used to often feel very, very angry. I also told Piyush, ‘Why don’t you talk about it?’”

Pandey’s response, Goyal recalled, reflected his humility. “He said, ‘Yaar, kya farak padta hai, jisko jo credit lena hai lene do. Tu jaanta hai na, bas that’s enough. Aur Modi ji ko pata hai na’.”

For Pandey, knowing that his work had resonated with both Narendra Modi and the Indian people was recognition enough.

According to Goyal, the creative process had involved multiple ideas from different quarters. “There were a lot of people coming up with different ideas, different thoughts,” he said. “But when Mr. Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, heard ‘Ab ki Baar, Modi Sarkar’ for the first time, he recognised instantly that it would resonate.”

Goyal described that instant recognition as a reflection of Modi’s instinctive understanding of the public mood. “That was his creative genius. He could connect with the common man,” Goyal said. “Simple, brief, to the point, and yet powerful. I find it remarkable that something so impactful came from just four words.”

In a world where slogans come and go, “Ab ki Baar, Modi Sarkar” continues to hold a place not just in political history but in India’s advertising folklore, a product of conviction, creative brilliance, and national sentiment.

What began with one man’s reluctant “no” in Shivaji Park ended with a four-word phrase that shaped a political movement, reminding the industry that sometimes, the most enduring ideas are born not in boardrooms but in quiet lawns under the night sky.