Bhakti lyrics in praise of NaMo
BJP workers in Raichur district have taken to a new hobby: writing poems and composing tunes on PM Narendra Modi. At least three such ‘poets’ have penned stanzas in the colloquial, which are sung as prayers to kickstart party campaigns in the constituency. Fans say the PM’s ‘achievements’ have inspired them to put pen to paper, and the content is anybody’s guess: unadulterated adulation. The poems talk about ‘vikas’ which Modi has laid claim to, but whether DeMo finds mention in the lyrics is not clear. Prakash Nandi, a businessman, says he penned his verses after party president Amit Shah visited Sindhanur in February, and waxed eloquent on Modi’s achievements. “I was impressed,” said the starry-eyed poet. Then there are some working in tandem, like Ramappa B who wrote a poem, which was set to music by his friend. Ramappa says songs in the colloquial language have the power to attract the masses, and Raichur folk love their language. Venkatesh Patel, political analyst, says a blind craze and emotion is driving people. He dismisses it as a fad restricted to the NaMo brigade, which is trickling down among the youth. As we all know, love is blind, and with this new-age ‘bhakti movement’ taking shape, the day may not be far when court poets and jesters are back in the Dilli durbar.
Tsunami or just a breaker?
Campaigning in the searing heat of Bagepalli on Thursday, BJP leader and former minister B Sriramulu sought to revive memories of the 2014 ‘Modi wave’. “The Modi wave is like a tsunami,” he declared, launching into the hyperbole. “Opposition parties will vanish in the wave, and Modi will become prime minister again.” The alliance partners will not be recognisable after 2019, once the tsunami sweeps the nation, he added, predicting the demise of the coalition government. Zooming ahead of other BJP leaders in number crunching, he claimed that the party would win 24 of the 28 seats.
Mithun’s Chalisa, and the voter’s ‘punya’
If there’s bhakti on one side, there’s punya on the other. Dakshina Kannada district minister UT Khader on Thursday kicked up a row, saying people will earn punya if they vote for Congress candidate Mithun Rai, as he can recite the Hanuman Chalisa. At a presser, Khader was asked why Rai had started reciting the hymn before his speech during campaigning, and whether it was part of the party’s ‘soft Hindutva’ line. Khader’s reply: “There is nothing wrong with it. Mithun is a devout Hindu and has been reciting the hymn since his childhood.” Well, well, as the line between hard and soft blurs, and the saffron tinge spreads, the real issues are all but forgotten.