At Modi’s rally, crowd hopes for Ram ji ki agli sarkar in Delhi

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, May 30

On a hot day today, a steady stream of migrants lined up in blistering heat to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister at his last rally during the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign here. Suman, Aarti Dhir and an elderly Krishna Sharma from Pahari Katra area in Hoshiarpur, a predominantly Hindu locality known for its Hanuman temple with a towering statue of the deity, basked in the saffron glow of an orange tent, matching the kesariya colour of the “Jai Shri Ram” flags lining up the Dussehra Ground periphery and the glistening orange Hanuman statue, a few yards away.

Hoshiarpur resident Suman exclaimed, “Bahut chaav hai, Diwali jaisa chaav hai. India ki chavi sabse upar chali gai hai. India is the best (I’m very keen on the event. It’s like Diwali. India’s image has got a boost).”

Amidst the resonance of Ram Mandir in the urban strongholds of BJP in Punjab this year, the PM’s rallies have been marked with a deeply ‘divine’ rhetoric and a heightened pitch in the pandals, with the air rent by chants of “Jai Shri Ram”. An anthem-styled song, “Barho, Barho, Laro Laro, Namo Namo” played right at his arrival – sending a wave of enthusiasm among the supporters. At the Hoshiarpur rally, in a marked difference from Jalandhar, a huge crowd of migrant workers waited patiently to be let in. Hundreds congregated in the pandal while others waited outside the venue.

Way before his arrival, the songs “Modi ji aaye hain, Modi ji ayenge” and “Hanuman jaisa Ram bhakt hona chahiye, mere Ram ji ki agli sarkar hona chahiye” pep up the audience. A vocal artist asked people to respond to the ‘Jaikara’ of “Jo Ram Ko laye hain, hum unko layenge”.

Anil, a Pahari Katra resident in Hoshiarpur, says, “He (Modi) has taken Lord Ram out from a tent and placed him in a Rajmahal (palace). The Dussehra in Hoshiarpur is the most famous in North India. It is a matter of pride for us that Prime Minister Modi has come here. He will be showered with Ram ji’s blessings.”

Aarti Dhir also from Pahari Katra, says, “Ram ji has bestowed blessings on Hanuman. All rallies here are successful. Bhagwant Mann ji also came here and he wished to see Ram’s kripa (blessings). Modi ji will also be blessed.” On what’s the main issue for Hoshiarpur, Suman says, “Education should be free, it is so costly.”

A vegetable seller, Raj Kumar from Chabbewal, who specially attended the rally, said, “The rally was successful. Modi ji was very nice. The best thing was his ‘prachar’ (campaign) and leadership. He has made us our Ram Mandir. Our accounts have been opened and we get facilities.”

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