How the bitter Bengal polls turned into a catchy sloganeering game

A rallying cry by a Bangladeshi lawmaker has taken electioneering in West Bengal by storm, adding a cross-border flavour to the political sloganeering that has a chequered history in the state.

An MP of Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League, Shamim Osman, coined “khela hobe (game is on)” at an election rally in Narayanganj, near Dhaka, four years ago.

Little did he know then that his catchphrase would breach the barbed fence along the India-Bangladesh border that divide the two Bengals and become a campaign theme of the Trinamool Congress—the ruling party in this part of Bengal.

The slogan became so trendy that it even started doing the rounds in Bengali-dominated areas of Assam, where three-phase polling ended on April 6.

The Congress there improvised the TMC slogan to “khela, khela, khela hobe ei bar Congress-er sarkar hobe (the game is on, this time the Congress will form the government).”

The harmless-sounding phrase has a sinister connotation too in the context of West Bengal elections, which has a long-tradition of violence and intimidation.

The phrase was in fact introduced in this election in what appeared to be a veiled threat to the opponents by TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal.

The TMC’s Birbhum district president, who has the reputation for making inflammatory remarks, cryptically claimed at an election event, “Khela hobe. Bhoyonkor khela hobe. Ei maati tei khela hobe.” (Game will be played… a dangerous game. It will be played in this turf).

TMC spokesperson and youth leader Debangshu Bhattacharya soon played on the phrase to pen a long rap-jingle, stressing on wide range of issues dominating this election.

The first stanza of the song goes thus: Baire theke Borgi asey/ Niyom kore proti mase/ Amio achi, tumio robe/ Bondhu ebar khela hobe/ Khela khela khela hobe.  

This can be loosely translated as Borgis come from outside routinely every month/ I am here, you too will be there/ Friends, the game is on/ Game is on game is on.

The term Borgi(s) is used to refer to Maratha invaders who used to periodically raid Bengal in the 18^th century. In the current perspective, BJP leaders frequenting Bengal for campaigning from outside the state are equated with Borgis by the TMC to create a natives-versus-outsiders narrative. Debangshu’s jingle begins with that narrative.

The TMC’s other popular slogans, “Bangla nijer meyekei chay” (Bengal wants to be led by its own daughter) and Joy Bangla (Hail Bengal or victory to Bengal) are also woven around the same nativist theme.

Joy Bangla is almost used as a national slogan in Bangladesh just as Jai Hind in India. The slogan gained popularity during Bangladesh’s Liberation war of 1971.

The BJP initially took a dig at the TMC pointing at the Joy Bangla slogan’s Bangladesh connection. “The honourable person is uttering the Bangladeshi slogan ‘Joy Bangla’ which is the national slogan of Islamic Bangladesh,” BJP state president Dilip Ghosh wrote in a Facebook post criticising TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

The party, however, gave its objection to the slogan a quiet burial when netizens pointed out its origin to India’s nationalist movement against the British.

The phrase was taken from a poem ‘Purna Abhinandan’, written by a renowned Bengali poet-musician Kazi Nazrul Islam in 1922 as a paean to Bengali revolutionaries.

The TMC said Ghosh’s objection to the slogan reflects lack of knowledge of Bengali culture and history.

“It is precisely because of this, we call the BJP leaders bohiragoto (outsiders),” said Mukul Chandra Bairagya, the state president of the TMC’s refugee cell.

Debangshu also claimed he had recreated “Khela hobe” from Rabindranath Tagore’s song, “Moder jemon khela, temoni je kaaj (We work like we play).”

Trinamool er vangiye neta/ Noyko sohoj vote a jeta (It’s not easy to win elections with turncoats from the TMC), Debangshu writes in the second stanza of his song, taking potshots at the BJP for poaching on TMC leaders.

In the subsequent stanzas, he lyrically reels out various achievements of the TMC government.

The jingle version of the slogan became so popular that it has been played even at socio-religious events such as wedding ceremonies and Saraswati puja.

Speaking at Indian Express’ Idea Exchange, TMC’s poll strategist Prashant Kishor said that the ‘Khela Hobe’ slogan was a well thought out strategy to counter the “psychological fear” the BJP tried to create in West Bengal in the run up to the elections with claim of getting 200-plus seats.

Playing the spin

In a bid to blunt this slogan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a spin to it, declaring “TMC ka khela shesh. Khela khatam, vikas shuru.” (The game is over for the TMC. The game ends and development begins).

The BJP also came out with a counter video song called khelar mathe lorai hobe (the battle will be fought on the playground).

The party, however, did not promote the video much. It instead took a jibe at the TMC releasing another music video titled “Pishi jaao” (Aunty leave), ironically adding a Bengali spin to a 19th Century Italian anti-fascist folk song ‘Bella Ciao’ (Goodbye beautiful).

“Bangla e shudu, dangabaazi, o pishi jaao, pishi jaao, pishi jaao, jaao, jaao. Raasta behaal, bangla e aakal, pishi jaao, jaao, jaao, pishi jaao. Keno mitthe, mitther prochaar? Pishi jaao, jaao, jaao, pishi jaao (There are only riots in Bengal, aunty leave. Roads are in bad shape and Bengal is in shambles. Aunty, leave. Why are you peddling lies? Aunty, leave),” thus go the lyrics of the BJP’s parody song video.

With ‘Pishi jaao’ parody, the BJP is trying to dent Mamata’s image of a Didi (elder sister) projecting her as a patronizing aunt more concerned about protecting the interest of her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, whom the party is constantly targeting as “corrupt”.

Not to be left out

Not wanting to be left behind, the CPI(M) also launched lyrical attacks on its rivals with a parody of a viral Bengali song called Tumpa Shona from a web series and a video song “Haal Pherao Laal Pherao”. (To bring back good days, bring back red. Red is the colour of the communist party).

The original Tumpa Shona song speaks about a man’s newfound love after his wife eloped. The CPI(M) version, which egged on the people to attend the February 28 Brigade Rally of the Left, Congress and the ISF, alleged the TMC and the BJP had a “secret understanding”.

The second song is based on the Bollywood track, “Lungi dance” from Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Chennai Express’.

The songs written by a young CPI(M) cadre Rahul Paul take a dig at both the TMC and the BJP.

Another political music video album that has gone viral is ‘Oh Lovely’ by TMC leader and former minister Madan Mitra.

In the video, Mitra sings a song holding a pumpkin to show it is green outside and saffron inside, alluding to party deserters who joined the BJP.

“Kumrogulo fulo fulo, onek takai bikri holo (Big sized pumpkins were sold at good price),” thus goes the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MqttvTZjQY

Poribartan in poll campaigns?

These stinging lyrics and slogans come as a comic relief to the masses amid the bitterly-fought elections which is otherwise smeared by offensive remarks and personal attacks.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was barred from campaigning for 24 hours for urging her supporters to “gherao” central forces if they prevent them for voting.

A police complaint has been lodged in Kolkata by a civil organisation naming Modi for frequently addressing Mamata Banerjee in election rallies as “Didi…o…didi” in a “mocking” tone.

TMC leaders and many prominent citizens have said the tone and tenor of the address is derogatory, resembling a “cat call”.

The complaint was filed by Bengal Citizen’s Forum at the Amherst Street police station in Kolkata after two youths harassed women calling them “didi…o…didi” in a tone used by Modi.

The forum in its complaint said the way Prime Minister has been referring to the Chief Minister is having a negative effect on the youth.

Earlier, TMC MP Mahua Moitra in a television discussion said, “There is something we have in Bengal called ‘rock-er chhele’, which means a street-side fellow who sits on a wall and calls out to every lady walking past, saying ‘Didi…o…didi’. This is what the Prime Minister is doing.”

The latest low in Bengal poll campaign is continuation of an old tradition, perhaps started with the Leftists mocking veteran Congress leader Atulya Ghosh as kana Atulya (blind Atulya) as he had lost one eye during the freedom struggle.

They hung at several places insect infested brinjals, called “kana (blind) begun” in Bengali, during the 1967 assembly elections targeting the legendary Congress leader.

During the campaigning for the 2019 parliamentary elections, Mamata Banerjee slammed Modi saying he would get a “slap of democracy” and asked, “Is he (prime minister) a donkey?”

Amidst all these badmouthing and vicious remarks, catchy slogans and parodies have quietly evolved, depicting changing pattern in the state’s political landscape.

From the Leftist slogan of “Tomar naam aamar naam Vietnam” (your name and my name is Vietnam) of the 1960s to the BJP’s “Jai Shri Ram” of the recent days, the new slogans narrate that change.