For a change, Bengal BJP does a TMC, takes egg-rice route to woo voters

It is called “Dimbhaat” in Bengali (egg curry-white rice), and thanks to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), it has turned into a popular ‘political food’ in rallies across West Bengal where its cadre and supporters are fed the same, boosting mass mobilisation and the show of strength.

On Sunday (January 18), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the state’s main Opposition party, took a leaf out of the book of the ruling outfit, which it desperately seeks to topple in this year’s Assembly elections.

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As Singur, a town in Bengal’s Hooghly district located around 40 kilometres from the state capital Kolkata and achieved fame or rather lost it, following a Tata car factory ruckus nearly two decades ago, geared up for a rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi early on Sunday, the saffron party decided to take the culinary route to its supporters’ hearts.

Makeshift stoves were set up at various areas of the district as the sun rose on a lazy winter morning, and cooks were deployed to prepare ‘Dimbhaat’ or whiterice and egg curry, the eternally simple but politically enriching dish, with one additional item in some places.

'Jai Shri Ram' chants while cooking egg curry

Local BJP leaders took an early lead to get volunteers together to ensure that the food is ready on time for the supporters, and they could reach the venue of Modi’s Parivartan Sankalp Rally at Singur’s Tata ground on time. According to local Bengali reports, the BJP workers even gave the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan while cooking.

While it is not new for Bengal’s political parties to arrange food for people who are often transported to their rally venues, particularly for those who travel long distances to reach Kolkata for mega gatherings, ‘Dimbhaat’ was particularly made popular by Mamata five years ago, when Bengal was heading to yet another state election.

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In February 2021, the TMC government launched the ‘Ma’ food scheme, whereby subsidised cooked meals were given to the poor at a nominal price of just Rs 5. The plate included rice and egg curry besides dal and vegetables. The fact that it was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic also made the initiative an instant hit by helping the needy.

Kolkata had egg scarcity in 2018 after TMC's rally

However, the idea was in practice even before 2021. In 2018, Kolkata found a scarcity of eggs after the TMC gave its supporters egg curry-rice at a rally in the city.

In 2019, before the Lok Sabha elections, the TMC promised ‘Dimbhaat’ to people who attended its major rally in Kolkata, showcasing the Opposition's strength.

However, Mamata’s critics also make fun of the food, after the TMC cadre misspelled the food's name in Bengali on wall graffiti and accused her government of luring people with egg curry so that they vote for her in the elections. Social media was also abuzz with memes surrounding ‘Dimbhaat’. But TMC found a reason to feel vindicated when the Left parties also arranged for the same menu at their rallies.

The BJP might have started late in the race for egg curry and rice, but it has nevertheless. Even though the party is known for its financial clout, its grassroots brains know that egg curry and rice play the best role in attracting people, even more than expensive dishes such as biryani.

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Moreover, preparing eggs is also easier than say chicken or fish, involves less littering and management of waste, and any shortage can be easily overcome through instant purchases if needed. They are also a rich source of nourishment, which sometimes sees people bringing in more people to have food, even if at a political rally. This facilitates mass mobilisation, the ultimate goal of any political party.

For the middle class of Bengal, the egg is always close to the heart, because it's cheap and instantly satisfies hunger and boosts energy. Can the BJP, which otherwise opposes the consumption of meat, find a convenient way through eggs to convince the foodie in Bengalis that it is not against their sources of protein?