Dehradun: In a 2.51-minute video released by the BJP for the Uttarakhand BJP campaign, PM Narendra Modi appears nearly 21 times.
The video begins with a recitation in PM Modi’s voice: “Jahan pawan bahe sankalp liye, jahan parwat garv sikhaate hain, jahan oonche neeche sab raste bas dharti ke sur mein gaate hain (where the wind blows with determination, where hills teach pride, where all the paths sing in tune with the earth).”
Then, as Bollywood singer Jubin Nautiyal’s voice seeks to paint a mesmerising picture of Uttarakhand’s temples, the famed Ganga arti, and snow-clad scenic mountains, a saffron-clad Narendra Modi is seen meditating, strolling and praying inside the Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines.
Other parts of the video feature shots of Haridwar Kumbh, and the temples of Jaunsar and Kumaon regions.
In a second video, 2.53 minutes long, Modi is seen almost 34 times. It also begins with Modi reciting the same lines as above, before a Garhwali song takes over: “Uttarakhand mero matrubhumi, ‘o’ bhumi teri jai jai kara (Uttarakhand my motherland, oh, my motherland, I celebrate you)”.
The footage shows the PM walking at the Kedarnath shrine, and addressing public rallies where he recalls his past stay in Uttarakhand. In one of the public addresses, Modi is heard speaking highly of the Char Dham pilgrimage, besides the shrines at Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, and the Ganga arti at Haridwar and Rishikesh.
Another video nearly 3 minutes long features the BJP tag line “Kiya hai, karti hai, karegi sirf bhajpa (only the BJP has done it, is doing it, and will continue doing it)”.
It shows a saffron-clad Prime Minister sporting the big Kedarnath temple ‘tika’, and showcases the development work being done in the state by the double-engine government, or the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttarakhand.
These include the Atal Ayushman Scheme for free health insurance and accessible healthcare, reconstruction of Kedarnath shrine, ongoing all-weather road projects, highways, construction of new AIIMS building, and ‘Har Ghar Nal Se Jal (tap water in every house)’.
Modi is seen at least 16 times in the video.
Yet another video shows a boy saying, “We will give a thumping majority to the one who reconstructed our Kedarnath.” Immediately afterwards, the video shifts to Modi and his speeches.
It’s a no-brainer that Modi is the face of the BJP’s campaign in Uttarakhand, with CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, who only took over last July as the third CM since the 2017 election, taking the backseat.
The BJP’s campaign material for the state, including 10 videos, shows the party’s unabashed push to present Modi as its face, with a fair dose of religious messaging — and the state’s significance for Hindus — wrapped in. Finishing up the picture is the party’s emphasis on the “development work” done by its government.
Of the 10 videos released by the BJP, Dhami is only seen in a few. In the videos mentioned above, Dhami is not seen at all in the first. The second video has two shots of Dhami with Modi, while the third has a maximum of six, again with the PM.
The videos don’t feature the longest-serving Uttarakhand CM of the party, Trivendra Singh Rawat, who is said to have been removed from the post over an unfavourable review. While Rawat has withdrawn himself from the assembly polls, he is one of the star campaigners of the party.
Also missing are BJP national president J.P. Nadda and state chief Madan Kaushik.
Speaking about the campaign, BJP leaders in the state said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the fulcrum of every development in the state and the “flag-bearer” of Hindutva and the party’s ideology.
Uttarakhand votes for its 70-member assembly on 14 February, with the results scheduled for 10 March.
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‘A well thought-out decision’
Asked why Modi has been the focus of the BJP’s campaign push, Kaushik said, “What’s wrong in that? It’s a known fact that the Prime Minister is a face acceptable to the people of Uttarakhand. There is no parallel to him with our Opposition.
“He and the work done by him in Uttarakhand will prove a winner for us and we are moving forward with the right approach in this election campaign.”
Similar views were expressed by Trivendra Singh Rawat.
“The Prime Minister has a huge attachment with Uttarakhand. He personally monitored almost every developmental project, especially that of Kedarnath reconstruction,” he said.
“This is precisely the reason why Uttarakhand is far ahead of other states in the developmental index and the state is witnessing massive infrastructural development. All the big projects are being taken care of by him personally. He connects with the people and needs of the state well. He ought to be at the driver’s seat of our campaign.”
Uttarakhand BJP vice-president Devendra Bhasin said “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is nurturing the state of Uttarakhand that was formed by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee”.
“An investment of around Rs 1 lakh crore was made in the state by the Centre in the past five years. Besides this, the PM has a special attachment with Kedarnath and other pilgrimage sites of Uttarakhand.
“It’s not that Modi alone is seen in our campaign theme videos. We are moving forward with the slogan of Modi-Dhami government, but we have to thank the Prime Minister for his support to the state government. Also, PM and CM are the fulcrum of public aspirations. They both are the face of our poll campaign.”
BJP state spokesperson Shadaab Shams said it was a “well thought-out decision of the party to make Prime Minister Modi the face of the campaign in Uttarakhand”.
“The CM was never kept out but kept second to the PM,” he added. “For us, the PM is a flag-bearer of the party’s ideological Hindutva, and the state’s development. It’s an undeniable fact that he has always been at the forefront of every developmental work in the state. He is the anchor of the double-engine government in the state.”
Shams said Modi “will always remain the focus of the electoral campaign in Uttarakhand for his contribution to the state and the party”.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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