From ‘Pappu’ to ‘Shehzada’: BJP's changing tactics for Rahul Gandhi

Looking to overthrow the Congress-led UPA government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with an ever-so-impressive IT cell, actively ran a run to make this representation of Rahul Gandhi arsenic a idiosyncratic who "lives successful his ain world" and whose lone endowment was his name, “Gandhi".

The run was a success! Even a Google hunt connected “pappu" threw up Rahul Gandhi's images. It inactive does. Before his speech astatine Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) successful 2013, “#pappuCII" had started trending connected Twitter with hundreds of tweets being posted nether it. Later, netizens and politicians ruffled done his CII code to solidify the representation that had started to go a deed among the masses.

And soon, it became evident that Rahul Gandhi wasn't a person who could situation the representation that was Narendra Modi.

The writer thinks: It is fascinating however these narratives tin thrust a full colonisation to sing along.

Over the years, much specified presumption specified arsenic “tubelight," “mahagyani" (super knowledgeable), and "moorkhon ka sardar" (leader of fools) person taken over. "Shehzada" (prince), too, has travel up again arsenic India votes to elite its King. Pun wasn't intended.

Ten years since “pappu" was archetypal used, let's look astatine the BJP's changing strategies to onslaught Rahul Gandhi.

“Tubelight" was a word PM Narendra Modi had utilized for Rahul Gandhi during a 2020 code successful Parliament. During the speech, Narendra Modi referred to Rahul Gandhi's Delhi code wherever helium mentioned that “youth volition bushed [PM] Modi with sticks implicit unemployment".

As Rahul Gandhi roseate up to protest, Narendra Modi said, “I person been speaking for 30-40 minutes but it took this agelong for the existent to reach. Bahut se tubelight aise hullo hotey hai [many tubelights are similar this]", erupting laughter successful the House.

The word hasn't near its spark and does assistance its caput erstwhile successful a while. The BJP precocious playfully labelled Rahul Gandhi arsenic a “fuse tubelight."

Might beryllium of interest: PM Modi slams Rahul Gandhi for ‘undemocratic language’; says ‘Shahzada of Congress…'

A fewer days later, PM Narendra Modi again came down heavy connected Congress for allegedly turning to seers to revive its fortunes, portion besides making a veiled onslaught connected Rahul Gandhi by dubbing him arsenic “moorkhon ka sardar".

“A mahagyani person from the Congress said the radical of India person 'Made successful China' mobile phones...In which satellite 'moorkhon ke sardar' live? I wonderment what overseas glasses they are wearing arsenic they are incapable to spot the country's achievement. They person the illness of not seeing their country's achievements," PM Modi said.

PM Modi has often called Rahul Gandhi a “shehzada" (young prince), referring to the Gandhi household helium was calved into.

The tern again recovered a notation erstwhile PM Modi reacted to the Congress' determination to tract Rahul Gandhi from Raebareli. He said, “I had already told you that the shehzada is looking for different spot for himself owed to fearfulness of decision successful Wayanad."

And again astatine a rally successful Gujarat, PM Modi targeted Rahul Gandhi, saying Pakistan was anxious to marque the 'shehzada' of the expansive aged enactment India's adjacent PM arsenic the country's enemies privation a anemic authorities astatine the helm.

While it is not known who and erstwhile the archetypal ‘pappu’ was utilized but these mocking presumption person been astir for rather immoderate years and similar each different times, the Congress MP has refused to entertain them. Like helium says, “main nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan khol raha hun."

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Published: 06 May 2024, 05:28 PM IST