BJP’s Ram Madhav took party workers to Khan Market to celebrate the Lok Sabha victory to assert the “new political ideology and culture,” that is strengthening in India. He recently wrote, “Khan Market cacophony of pseudo-secular/liberal cartels held a disproportionate sway and stranglehold over the intellectual and policy establishment of the country.” This came after PM Narendra Modi’s jibe at “Khan Market gang”.
ThePrint asks: Why does the Right-wing want to ‘occupy’ Delhi’s liberal hotspot Khan Market?
Now that BJP is firmly ensconced in Lutyens’ Delhi, Right-wing is demonising Khan Market
Contributing editor, ThePrint
Before 2014, Narendra Modi’s supporters had turned Lutyens’ Delhi into a term of abuse. The seat of power, occupied by the Congress-led UPA, was projected to be antithetical to the masses of India. Now that the BJP is firmly ensconced in Lutyens’ Delhi, Right-wingers have found another geographical location to demonise: Khan Market. If not Khan Market, they’ll come up with something else. It could have been the India International Centre but that stopped to matter much in 2014 itself.
Demonising liberals as the enemy of the nation is neither new nor surprising in Right-wing politics. The derision of Khan Market was carried out by those who hop, skip and jump from one five-star hotel lobby to another. The increasing attack on “Khan Market” is a metaphor for the Right-wing’s desire to carry out complete domination of thought. There will be no space left for dissent. They will come for Varanasi’s Pappu Chai Shop too.
The Right-wing desire to occupy Khan Market is not to be taken literally. Having conquered “Lutyens” (making Congress irrelevant), the majoritarian Right wants to conquer “Khan Market”, that is, the independent, non-party aligned Left-liberals who don’t subscribe to the idea of a majoritarian state where non-Hindus are second class citizens. The “Khan Market” obsession of the Right-wing is an open declaration of war against freedom, dissent, criticism and questioning.
Ludicrous as it may sound, but “Khan Market” shall resist.
Khan Market represents aspiration for anyone new to Delhi — it’s the place to be bumped into
Senior journalist
To all those who want to occupy Khan Market, established in 1951 for refugees from North West Frontier Province and named after Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan, the younger brother of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (popularly known as Frontier Gandhi), perhaps they would like to spend some time among the car repair shops of the adjoining market as well? After all, it is named Prithviraj Market, after one of Delhi’s most famous rulers Prithviraj Chauhan, but it is not to be confused with Prithivraj Road, home of some of the most expensive real estate in the world.
But the obsession with Khan Market has much to do with those who frequent it for its pricey restaurants and pricier stores. It’s a place to be seen and to be bumped into, even if you’re buying a humble sitaphal — sorry, butternut squash — and perfectly round baingan — oops, aubergine.
Khan Market represents aspiration for anyone new to Delhi not because of money, but because of the lineage of that money. Knowing Mithilesh, the uber knowledgeable assistant in the bookshop Bahrisons, or recalling Empire Stores, now the location of a bank, where you’d get imported food, from ham to sardines, marks you out as a member of the elite because it suggests you had the advantage of geography (being born in the Capital) and sociology (to a family that knew the value of good books and fine food). No amount of shopping at Foodhall or Emporio mall can make up for the accident of birth.
Also read: Sushi stop for Gandhis, jewel jaunt for Smriti Irani: Khan Market truly a Lutyens’ darling
Flawed to assume ‘Khan Market gang’ as default liberal. So, Modi’s jibe could very much apply to his own
Associate editor, ThePrint
Tolerance is a virtue the Indian society appears to be losing fast and the ‘occupy Khan Market’ movement by the Right-wing aptly reflects that.
This is more symbolic than anything else – to show the dominance of a surging Right-wing (which is buoyed by the Narendra Modi-led BJP’s dizzying mandate in this election) over the ‘liberal’, the ‘elite’ and the ‘privileged’. Or ‘naamdaar’, as Modi likes to call them.
He gave the clarion call by taking a stinging swipe at the “Khan Market gang” in an interview to The Indian Express, his ecosystem was quick to take the hint and the ‘movement’ against the plush Lutyen’s Delhi market began.
However, there is one point most seem to be missing. Khan Market may be posh and elite – catering to a certain class of people – but there is no way to tell if it really is ‘liberal’. People of all political and ideological hues visit it regularly, use it as their most frequented hang-out and congregate there.
To be sure, the use of ‘Khan Market’ as a symbol of the liberal is more metaphorical than much else, but even this metaphor is flawed. Especially now, when the elite in Delhi is fast changing, replacing the old with a new set – thanks to a changed regime in power that has ushered in an entirely new ecosystem. So, the next time Modi refers to the “Khan Market gang”, he could very much be referring to his own.
Also read: Why Lutyens’ neighbourhoods like Khan Market are way more inclusive than you think
Khan Market is a big tent, which occupies both the elite liberal and the ‘Right’
Senior associate editor, ThePrint
It is absolutely wrong to assume that Khan Market is a liberal hotspot. What it is, however, is the pulse of the elite central Delhi, dominated by Lutyens where 99 per cent occupants are ministers and politicians, besides of course the rich of South Delhi.
Khan market is one place where you will find not just leaders from the Congress and other opposition parties but also the suave and young politicians from the BJP.
It is the place that the elite go to wine and dine besides of course shopping for exotic fruits and meat.
One often runs into senior bureaucrats, intelligence officials and children of top leaders enjoying a piece of cake at The Big Chill Cakery or some old fashioned Chinese food at China Fare.
Another place for political spotting, besides the numerous watering holes and restaurants, is Anokhi, where one can get good cotton clothes and home furnishing as well as at Good Earth.
The term “Khan Market Gang” was originally coined by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as a dig at a group of young MPs from entitled backgrounds who often ate there during Parliament lunch breaks. It’s an altogether different thing that Jaitley’s own kith and kin can be spotted there.
No matter how one puts it, Khan Market is a big tent which occupies both the elite liberal and the ‘Right’.