A ROUND 90 km from Ranchi, as you enter Hazaribagh town, a sense of festivity captivates you for a while. Though the colour of the saffron flag and festoons has faded in the harsh sunlight, the life-size cut-outs of Ram are compensatory. It's election time and in Hazaribagh, a city known for the Ram Navami celebration, how can Ram not make an appearance in the electoral discourse? As the campaign tableau of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha candidate Manish Jaiswal moves around the town, with the song 'jo Ram ko laye hai, hum unko layenge' being played on loudspeaker, both the mood and the mudda get established.
A few km from Jhanda Chowk-that finds a mention every time a Ram Navami procession turns violent- the Rajput samaj (Kshatriyas) is gearing up to welcome Jaiswal. Wearing a saffron robe and sporting a saffron tika, Giridhar Singh, one of the members of the community, says: "We are followers of Ram and we will support Modi who has given Ram his home."
As hundreds continue to chant 'Jai Shree Ram', Jaiswal enters the scene. Earlier, he was wearing a robe embossed with the BJP lotus but he changed it at the entry point. "This is a rally organised by our samaj. We are supporting the BJP on the grounds of Ram and nationalism. You won't find any BJP flags here,” says Tuntun Singh, one of the organisers. The contest in Hazaribagh constituency became interesting after the BJP decided to field Jaiswal, the current MLA and the son of former Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) leader B K Jaiswal, instead of the current MP Jayant Sinha, the son of former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha. Just a few days ago, Sinha’s son Aashir joined the Congress. Sources say that Sinhas are not happy with the decision of the BJP to deny the ticket to Jayant.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 01, 2024-Ausgabe von Outlook.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 01, 2024-Ausgabe von Outlook.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.
Beyond Deadlines
Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics
Portraying Absence
Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans
Hemant Versus Himanta
Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics
A Smouldering Wasteland
As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children
Search for a Narrative
By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters
The Historic Bonhomie
While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie
