Ahead of the Jind bypoll, as well as the Lok Sabha elections, Haryana’s politicians are counting on viral music and lyrics to win votes.
Chandigarh: Pradeep Pannu, a Hisar-based film producer, is a busy man these days. Rushing between studios, recording songs for his six YouTube channels, Pannu has set a tough target for his team of singers and lyricists.
Before the Lok Sabha election begins, he has to produce 151 songs for Dushyant Chautala, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MP from Hisar who now heads the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the INLD.
A song is being released every day, including some meant for the 28 January assembly bypoll in Jind, where Dushyant’s brother Digvijay is the JJP candidate.
“Mhare neta jaisa or koi neta nahi sai,
Loka sari ib jor lana seye,
Mere Dushyant CM kee neev dal do,
Jind ka MLA Digvijay lana sai…”
(There’s no leader like mine, everyone agrees with me, set the stage for Dushyant’s election as CM by choosing Digvijay as Jind MLA).
“Saare khul ke karo vote,
Dushyant ko support,
Raj ise lana padega,
Mhara Digvijay bhai Chautala MLA banan padega…”
(People vote for Dushyant to make him CM, Will have to make my brother, Digvijay, MLA).
“Re loot loot ke kha gaye desh, apne bhi bande,
Haq jo mhare mare ukhado unke jhande,
Ib na jhooti baatan mein aavange,
Digvijay ne Jind jitanwage.”
(Others have looted the country, now we’ll uproot those who have stolen our rights. Won’t fall for false promises, will elect Digivijay from Jind).
Songs and electoral politics inseparable
Songs have been an inseparable part of the dust and grime of Haryana’s electoral politics.
Much like the Rajasthani tradition of socio-political mobilisation through bards singing folklore in praise of heroic personalities, political campaigns in Haryana — also due for assembly elections this year — have been known to feature songs celebrating political leaders, performed by local singers for crowds gathered at rallies.
These are rustic and loud musical performances and the leader for whom the songs have been written and sung is generally in attendance.
However, this election season has ushered in a new spin to the trend: Fresh songs churned out daily, complete with videos, for circulation on social media, including WhatsApp.
And the songs, also played on the campaign trail, are finding an audience, racking up social media views in the thousands.
Dedicated song churning teams
Pannu, who runs a production house called Pannu films Pvt Ltd, has been associated with the INLD since 1997.
When the INLD imploded last year amid a spat for supremacy between patriarch O.P. Chautala’s sons Abhay and Ajay, Pannu sided with the latter, and is now solely working for him and his son Dushyant.
“We put our own money into production and are doing it free for Dushyant,” said Pannu. “We are dedicated to him and his party now,” he added.
“I have been singing songs for the INLD, and now the JJP, for many years,” said Suresh Punia a popular Haryanvi singer. “I do it because I am attached to the leaders with all my heart. I don’t charge them and I don’t sing songs for any other political leader.”
Many of the songs, however, are performed by singers of no particular affiliation for a fee. “We are given matter about a leader or a political issue and our writer creates a song and we sing it,” said Parveen Majra, a professional Haryanvi singer.
“We have a whole team that works to generate such numbers. We are not associated with any party and do it for all parties,” he added.
Also read: CM Manohar Lal Khattar launches 485 schemes and services of 37 depts under Digital Haryana
Songs made Abhay Chautala
Abhay Chautala of the INLD, Dushyant and Digvijay’s uncle, is an old hand at the game. With the party out of power in the state for over 14 years now, the INLD has used songs to keep workers and supporters motivated.
In the days preceding the INLD’s split, the family battle for power was being waged through songs.
Numbers projecting Abhay as the CM candidate were countered with songs pitching Dushyant as the state’s potential leader. Both claimed to be the true inheritors of the legacy of former Haryana chief minister and deputy prime minister Devi Lal.
“Tu neta sabse nyaara,
Laage ji see pyaara…
Abhay Chautala tere haath mein hai,
Haryana bachaan…
tere ka se pakki jubaan ka neta aur na paana.”
(You are the best leader, Abhay Chautala, won’t find another leader who keeps their word like you do).
And then there are ones that talk about Abhay working towards bringing the waters from the defunct Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal for Haryana farmers: “La Abhay Singh paani SYL, bhala karein jamindara ka (Abhay Singh will get the waters of SYL, benefit landowners and farmers)” and “Abhay Singh Chautala, apna sahi rakhvaala, SYL ka khench ke paani layavega (Abhay Singh Chautala, our true protector, will get us SYL waters).”
The SYL water-sharing dispute with Punjab is among the most emotive campaign poll planks in Haryana, which has been locked in a battle with the former on the matter for years.
Songs used as political response
Another emerging trend during elections is the composition of songs in response to a given political scenario.
When the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi cancelled the furlough granted to O.P. Chautala, who is in Tihar jail with son Ajay in connection with a teacher recruitment scam in Haryana, the INLD was not pleased.
Chautala was to campaign for INLD candidate Umed Singh Redu in the run-up to the Jind bypoll, and the Delhi government’s decision was believed to have been driven by the fact that the AAP had lent its support to Digvijay.
Within hours, the INLD had churned out a sad music video. The lyrics go:
“Sher ger diye pinjre mein…
Hamara leao Chautala bhaar janta ke rhi.
Milan na de logan tain dushman ne plan banaya.
Budha manas jail bhej key u kaisa julm kamaya.
Julm ka badla janta legi..”
(You’ve put a lion in a cage. The public is saying, ‘bring out Chautala’, but the enemy has hatched a conspiracy to prevent a reunion. The sin you’ve committed by jailing an old man will be avenged by the public).
Also read: AAP rules out possibility of alliance with Congress in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana for LS polls
Congress tries to catch up
With the Jind bypoll barely five days away, the Congress too has joined the song bandwagon, with melodies extolling candidate Randeep Surjewala already out on social media.
“31 January dhol bajenge jis din nirnaya aavere.
Surjewala jitega sea Jind jile nu chhave re…”
(There will be celebrations on 31 January when the Jind results are announced and Surjewala is declared the winner).
“Randeep Surjewala CM laana padega..Congress ka raaj dubara leana padega… (Will have to bring Randeep Surjewala as CM and restore Congress rule)” goes another popular song sung by Surender Romio, a popular local singer who is also singing songs for Digvijay’s campagn.
BJP focuses on Modi and Khattar
Although the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not actively churning out songs for these elections, several paeans to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar have been created over his five-year term.
Rocky Mittal, a popular performer known as the BJP’s “in-house singer”, has been generating songs on PM Narendra Modi and Khattar almost every month.
His latest song, “Soniya ka bachha, akal ka kacha, sansad mein aankh mare (Sonia’s son, not very mature, winks in Parliament)” has over 4,000 views on YouTube. The song is inspired by Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s infamous wink during the parliamentary discussion on the opposition’s no-confidence motion against the Modi government last year.
His song for the Jind bypoll goes thus:
“Ib ke baar hogi ladai bhrishtachaar, imaan pe… Manohar Lal ne jad diya taara choron ke ukaan pe.”