UP polls: BJP dances to Big B's tunes

Even as superstar Amitabh Bachchan plays a perfect publicist for the Samajwadi Party-led government in Uttar Pradesh, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has rewritten hit numbers starring the superstar, his son Abhishek and soon-to-be daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai to campaign for the coming assembly polls.

Unleashing a digital blitzkrieg, the saffron party has released a series of audio and video CDs publicising BJP as the saviour of the state, whose brand ambassador is Big B himself.

The audio cassette and CD, comprising 17 parodies of hit Bollywood numbers, finds the party singing for votes and also exposing the misrule of the erstwhile BSP and SP governments.

The parodies starts with Chali chali dekho gali gali chali kamal ki lehar chali, based on the chartbuster from Big B starrer Baghban.

The album has also retuned Saara zamana hasino ka deewana from the 1980s hit Yaarana into BJP ki aandhi aayi re dekho aayi.

The audio publicity material of the saffron party has also rephrased the very popular Kajra re from Bunty aur Babli into BJP ko vote do karmayogi Kalyan Singh hai ... kamal ke phool par vote do behno bhaiya.

The album also includes a parody made on the title track of Abhishek Bachchan-starrer Dhoom as Dhoom machi hai kamal ke phool ki dhoom.

The cassette further rephrases a hit number from former Congress MP Rajesh Khanna starrer Aaradhana, Mere sapno ki raani kab aayegi tu into Uttar Pradesh ka gaurav badhayenge hum, BJP ki sarkar banayenge hum.

Besides these Bollywood hit numbers, the album meant only for private circulation by the party also rephrases songs from Sunny Deol-starrer Gadar, Rajesh Khanna-starrer Sautan and others.

Not only Bollywood hits, but the BJP has also used the folk songs sung generally in parts of central UP and Bundelkhand to revitalise the sagging spirits of its workers during the seven-phase polls.

"We have not used the services of Big B or his family in any way, but have borrowed popular tunes of numbers, which coincidentally, star the family. These CDs will be played in every nook and cranny of the state to boost the already existent wave in BJP's favour," district BJP media cell in-charge Rakesh Trivedi told UNI.

The opponents, however, have opened a new front against the BJP on this count - "This is pure double standard on BJP's behalf, which is using the numbers starring the Big B and his family, despite opposing their association with the SP on the streets."

"Owing to fear of losing the elections in UP, the BJP is taking support of music and dance to avoid humiliation at the hustings, but this move will fall flat just like 'India Shining' and 'Feel Good' campaigns," said Congress candidate from Varanasi (South) Dayashankar Mishra 'Dayalu'.