Poster war among the top two stalwarts of BJP

AMBRISH KUMAR

VARANSI. Banaras or Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world and thus has evolved its own socio-political culture in which minutest of the minute  the political gambits are observed by locals in their own language, known to the outside world as the “theth banarasi style”(ठेठ बनारसी स्टाइल).In the backdrop of the eons old Benarasi culture, the parliamentary elections here are going to be very interesting especially when the two BJP stalwarts are trying to outrival other to get the chance to contest from here, a seat which symbolisesHindutva and also the Development.

At one side of the intra-party tug-of-war is the present MP from here, Murli Manohar Joshiand other side is held by the Party Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi who wants to enter into the political arena from here this time .The new team  BJP under leadership of Narendra Modi had tried to make sure that the elders in the party may have no role to play in today’s active politics and thus the aged leader should be sent to the “Vridha Ashram” as the Upper House, the Rajya sabha is known in our journalistic jingo.

But the elders within the party are in no mood to give a cakewalk to the new team and this is the reason why the party which is promising to guard the country as the “Chowkidar” after Lok sabha polls, is finding it hard to guard its own house. While L.K.Advani has put spoke on wheels of Modi mania in Gandhinagar by tweeting that he would contest coming polls from the constituency which had been represented by him for many terms despite the fact that MODI had fixed his eyes on this seat in Gujarat.

Joshi has given another jolt to Modi by refusing to withdraw his claim from the constituency in which, perhaps he would go for the first time after being elected as MP in 2009. He is obstinate this time that he would contest from Varanasi and has made his presence felt by getting the town inundated with posters which carry different messages but the sole motive to prove that He alone is the right choice from Varanasi for “BJP babies”. One poster read, “Bole Kashi Vishwanath, Dr Joshi Ka denge saath.” The poster may be an interesting piece of literature as a hyperbole in which even the Lord Shia will be backing Joshi from Varanasi this time but for supporters of Modi, the appeal from the God does not matter.

To counter that, Modi supporters have also flooded labyrinth lanes and by-lanes of the town with posters one of which read as, “Kashi NagariKare Pukar, Narendra Modi is baar”. Alarmed by the poster war among the top two stalwarts, the RSS has decided to announce the candidate from Varanasi in its meeting to be held on March 8.

 Anyone alighting from the train at the station here immediately gets abreast with the ‘Chaal,Chera and Charitra of this one of oldest city of the world .The dexterity with which the driver of my jeep was carrying me through the maze of lanes here had clearly given me an impression that  the poor chap was trying to save himself from being beaten black and blue if the vehicle hits anyone. Auto-rickshaws were jostling past the handcarts but the traffic was running. This perhaps is the only town in the world where anyone on the road experiences a traffic jam in every two to three minues.Yet,the traffic moves on as if the city is living under a firmament of blessings by LORD Shiva. Posters of Modi  and Josh could easily been seen here in every nook and corner.

“Every new comer either Indian or tourists from other parts of the world are greeted here by slogans of Har,Har mahadev.The Paan is synonymous with Varansi.One will have to remain extra vigilant while moving on the road to make it sure that his or her brand new costumes may not get red blood with the paan masala laced saliva rocketed to the ground from  the mouth of the one chewing paan. This is  another matter that those living here for years can even judge from the body language of the other the exact timing of the mouth missile.” Observed senior journalist,Dhananjay Singh. His comments epitomise the socio-political milieu of Banaras.

One cannot have an inkling in the Varanasi style of living unless one moves on sewage overflowing narrow by lanes on which both way traffic moves on so swiftly that can put even best traffic planners of the world to shame. The basic Infrastructure like the Electricity, Roads and Dirking water are on the verge of becoming extinct like the two rivers-Varuna and AAsi which gave the town its name, Varanasi- have become. What formula the BJP’s self-styled “development deity”, Narnedra Damodar Modi will give to push the town ahead on the development ladder?, will be an interesting thing to watch  provided he wins the tug-of-war with the old horse, Murli Manhoar Joshi who is being seen in posters and still is not showing his physical presence in the town which elected him to represent him in the Parliament in 2009 but he did not turn up again here during last five years since 2009. What kept  Joshi “busy” during last five years while everybody in the country knows well that he had no role to play in new team BJP led by the self-styled development deity, remains a moot point.

The RSS will take the final decision but in the scenario in which the sangh asks Joshi to remain in Varanasi, the party’s Pm material Modi will be fielded from the safest seat for BJP, Lucknow where the party still fight and wins the election in the name of former PM, Atal BehariVjpayee.The greatest loser In that scenario will be the BJP National President who literally has been hounded out from Ghaziabad following the AAP impact. Rajnath is perhaps the only leader “blesses by unknown Gods of the BJP” who despite being a leader with zero mass following had always been getting plum posts  and this time also when he got inputs that his victory is almost impossible in Ghaziabad, he himself “Selected” BJP as his next parliamentary constituency.

Janadesh news network