Modi, the avenger of Uri, plays Lord Ram in Lucknow
Welcome to URI avengers. No we are not talking about any Hollywood flick or a Bollywood one inspired by it, but posters which welcome you to the Aishbagh ground where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Ramlila on Dussehra day.
Modi attending this Ramlila is a clear departure from the past. BJP President Amit Shah says it is not necessary he goes to the same place each year. Elections in UP are a clear reason for PM Narendra Modi to come here despite mayor Dinesh Sharma, who extended the invitation, stressing that politics has nothing to do with it. PM Narendra Modi is expected to reach Lucknow at 5.30pm and will be received by UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and home minister Rajnath Singh.
From the airport, Modi will go to governor's house and from there he will proceed to Aishbagh Ramlila maidan - where he is expected to stay from 6pm to 7pm to watch the Ramlila. He will leave for Delhi at around 7.30 pm. The effigy of Ravan will not be burnt before the prime minister due to security reasons as the ground is small.
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| With Modi as Ram, Nawaz as Ravana and Kejriwal as Meghnad - UP is having an eventful Ramlila. |
For the last several years, Dussehra at the Aishbagh Ramlila maidan has been theme-based and Ravan has symbolised a social evil of our times. For instance, in 2013, it was corruption, in 2014 it was crime against women and, in 2015, it was cow slaughter. This year, it is again in sync with the events of the last two-three months. A giant effigy of Ravan has "Atankvad ka samool nash ho (terrorism should be wiped out)" written on his chest, though the samiti members deny any link between this slogan and the surgical strikes carried out across LoC.
All eyes will be on the speech of the prime minister as it will be his first after the surgical strike. Though, till now, the PM has refrained from commenting much on the issue except “it's a different Dussehra this time”, his presence in the poll-bound state will definitely boost the morale of the BJP cadre.What is interesting is that like the BJP leadership in Delhi, all local leaders are officially denying that there is no politics involved in the PM attending Aishbagh Ramlila, the ground reality in Lucknow is completely different.
Though BJP president Amit Shah may say that the posters depicting PM Modi as Lord Ram are the handiwork of some local leader or cadre, the buzz on the ground has a different story to tell. Posters with PM Modi and HM Rajnath Singh on it welcome them as Uri Avengers.
The cadre are gung-ho about the victory and it is clear on the ground that irrespective of who says what about the politicisation of surgical strikes, the reality is that for the UP BJP, this has become their crowning glory. There is no taking the message to the people - local and state level leaders have already done that and chest thumping, especially its 56-inch variant, is the norm.
For the party that was not on a comfortable wicket, especially post the Uri terror attack, the surgical strike has proved a fresh lease of life. Slogans like "decisive government", “Mard” prime minister, "56 inches", "Ek ke badle 10 sir", which were gathering dust are back in circulation and how. A UP BJP leader said, “Right now surgical strike is our brahmastra which will win UP for us. Nothing else stand in comparison.”
The PM’s speech will be closely watched as it might set the political agenda for the BJP in UP. Another senior UP BJP leader said: “Imagine the hero of surgical strike in Luknow on the day of Ravan vadh. Honestly speaking, after this, Modi ji doesn’t need to do much.”
The opposition has already sensed the card the BJP wants to play in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh chief minister and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav quipped: "Had the elections been happening in Bihar, Modiji would be in Patna instead of being in Lucknow." With Operation Ginger now in the public domain, the ownership of surgical strikes has turned into a political issue. There are already several posters doing the rounds that credit Mulayam Singh for advising Modiji in favour of the surgical strike.
So, as Lucknow prepares itself for some high-power political punch in the evening with PM in attendance, the UP BJP feels that the presence of the architect of the surgical strike will help them literally laugh all the way to the (vote) bank.