Popular characters from the 1975 Hindi blockbuster Sholay have entered the Madhya Pradesh political discourse ahead of the November 17 Assembly elections.
The Opposition Congress and the ruling BJP are accusing each other of looting the State drawing parallels with the film’s characters, who were associated with crime in some way or the other.
The Jai-Veeru duo entered the political arena in the State after a protest within the Congress over ticket distribution which sparked speculation that all was not well.
Also Read | In BJP’s ‘collective leadership’ gambit, Shivraj seeks to stand out
The Congress said the “bonhomie” between its State president Kamal Nath and senior leader Digvijaya Singh was akin to the bond shared by ‘Jai’ and ‘Veeru’, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra respectively, in the film. Responding to the comment, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Jai and Veeru were fighting over the distribution of “plundered booty”.
Mr. Nath termed also Mr. Chouhan ‘Gabbar Singh', the movie’s lead villain.
Noted scriptwriter and filmmaker Rumi Jaffery said, “It is a matter of satisfaction to us that dialogues and characters picturised by us decades back in films like Sholay or Mughal-e-Azam are still relevant and people are using them even today. These characters are timeless and will remain in the world.”
Responding to a question about the matter, Congress general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Randeep Singh Surjewala equated the friendship between Mr. Nath and Mr. Singh with the one shared by Jai and Veeru.
The BJP seized the opportunity to hit back at the grand old party on the issue.
Also Read | Kamal Nath promises setting up of panel for development of backward classes
Chief Minister Chouhan took a swipe at Mr. Singh and Mr. Nath, referring to them as Jai and Veeru, who he said were fighting between themselves over the distribution of “plundered booty”.
Veteran journalist Girija Shankar said, “It is a needless controversy and Chouhan should not have entered into it. By targeting Jai-Veeru (Nath and Digvijaya), he (Chouhan) automatically became Gabbar as Jai-Veeru were known for their friendship and not remembered as thieves.”
Mr. Chouhan invoked the characters after reports said Mr. Singh and Mr. Nath were in Delhi on Tuesday to meet the Congress leadership.
In a video statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Mr. Chouhan said, “Jai-Veeru duo was called to Delhi. As newspapers reported, they (Congress leaders) are saying that the BJP is creating confusion (about differences between Nath and Singh). Why has Delhi (Congress leadership) called them? Jai and Veeru are fighting between themselves over the loot ka maal”.
Also Read | Don’t fall into the ‘trap’ of smaller parties: Digvijaya tries to prevent vote splitting in M.P.
Mr. Chouhan alleged that even before 2003, when the BJP formed the government in Madhya Pradesh, “Mr. Bantadhar” (as the BJP calls Digvijaya Singh) looted and destroyed the entire State.
“Even during the 15-month rule, Kamal Nath ji turned Madhya Pradesh into a centre of plundering. Now the dispute is only about who will be the next to loot and how and who will get what type of share in it (the booty). Delhi is also involved in this,” Mr. Chouhan alleged.
Mr. Nath then took to X for a retort. “Shivraj ji, it was Jai and Veeru who settled scores with the tyrannical Gabbar Singh. Madhya Pradesh has been suffering from atrocities for 18 years. The time has come for the end of tyranny. Rest you are sensible...” Reacting to Mr. Chouhan’s remark, Mr. Singh said it’s better to leave all this and focus on the main issues.
“For the last 20 years, they (BJP govt) looted the state the way Gabbar Singh used to loot. Don't get into it. Issues are not Jai-Veeru or Gabbar Singh. The issue is that in the last 20 years, people are too tired because of their corruption, falsehood, cheating and scams like Vyapam and the recent patwari exam and unemployment,” he said.
The BJP claimed that they have pulled up Madhya Pradesh from the BIMARU (laggard) State category but nothing happened if one looks at the health and the education sector in the state, said Mr. Singh.
“During the Corona crisis, a large number of people died because of non-availability of oxygen. Instead of talking in a filmy style, they should focus on the main issues in the elections,” Mr. Singh said.
State BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma blamed the Congress for introducing Sholay’s characters in the State politics during elections.
“I have been talking about development and poor welfare and this (Jai-Veeru) was given by them only as their in-charge had taken these names. Congress only does one thing:deviate people's attention from the issues of development and poor people's welfare,” Mr. Sharma said.
