Movie star-Minister Suresh Gopi, the BJP's first member of the Lok Sabha from Kerala, visited Thane over the weekend to campaign for the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra.
Divya Nair/Rediff.com listened in.
When Suresh Gopi was elected as the Bharatiya Janata Party's first Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, it was a matter of pride for several Malayalis.
Soon after being appointed Union minister of state for tourism and petroleum and natural gas, the movie star turned politician found himself in various controversies, one after the other.
Naturally, his visit to Thane on Sunday wasn't announced on social media nor was the media invited to cover the event.
On November 17, a day after he returned from a summit in Italy, the 66 year old took time off his busy schedule to campaign for the BJP, visiting party offices in Vasai, Thane, Kalyan, and Dombivli to appeal to voters, particularly local Malayalis, to exercise their franchise and bring the party back in power.
After a delay of 60 minutes or more, when he finally reached the BJP's Thane office, he was quickly escorted to the second floor where approximately 150 party members welcomed him with chants of 'Jai Shri Ram', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram.'
On the stage, while the dignitaries continued exchanging shawls and bouquets, a visibly irritated Gopi urged the party workers to get done with the formalities. "Aadhyam sthanarthi samsarikette (let the candidate speak first)," he insisted in Malayalam, passing over the mic to Mahayuti candidate and two-time MLA Sanjay Kelkar.
"Samsaaran thudangalle? (Shouldn't we start?)", a stern-looking Gopi reminded one organiser as the host continued dropping names acknowledging the long list of local dignitaries and organisers.
When Sanjay Kelkar introduced Gopi as the Union minister and the first BJP MP from Kerala, someone in the audience shouted "And Malayalam superstar".
Suresh Gopi looked up, his face instantly lit up and further continued to glow every time Kelkar compared their journeys.
However, when Kelkar went a bit overboard and suggested that Gopi could become the chief minister of Kerala, the latter humbly declined with folded hands, saying "Mujhe jeena bhi hai (I have to live)."
Each time Suresh Gopi's name was mentioned, the audience hooted or clapped, ensuring he felt special.
Minutes later, he addressed the eager audience in Hindi, carefully pausing and choosing his words, followed by English where his diction was sharp and fluent. However, it was only after Gopi switched to Malayalam his facial expressions and body language sparkled.
Gopi began his speech by reminding the audience about the 'legendary karyakarta', the late Balasaheb Thackeray.
"I am not against the family. But I don't think the children of Balasaheb are keeping the intent of the legendary politician (alive). (So) we will do penance in the name of the family."
"We hope to win at least 200 seats out of 288 as a tribute to Balasaheb," he told the voters, drawing a huge round of applause.
He then highlighted the importance of Maharashtra's election outcome for the country's economy and stressed on Prime Minister Narendra D Modi's leadership, describing him as "Karna" from the Mahabharat.
He then went on to explain how "Modiji is guarding the izzat of Bharat" (watch video below).
Once he switched to Malayalam, he no longer minced words or sugarcoated them with fillers and boring adjectives. He warned voters to be wary of the stories of lies and deceit narrated by the Opposition, calling them "cheaters" and "liars".
The Lok Sabha MP from Thrissur subtly addressed the intent behind Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's 'katenge toh batenge' slogan, urging voters to stay united and vote for the Mahayuti. While he did not mention the election symbols of the alliance parties, he reminded everyone about the power of the BJP's 'lotus' and how it is uniting people.
"If I get tired, bored, or if I disagree with something, I would rather go back to my home than betray my supporters and join the Opposition," Gopi claimed, attracting thunderous applause from the audience.
He also casually mentioned how he felt "chained" by his new role and is often unable to express himself freely as he did earlier.
While discussing his unexpected win in the Lok Sabha elections, Gopi spoke of how his supporters ignored the naysayers and lifted him and his party to power, and said he expected the same to happen in Maharashtra.
You can watch Suresh Gopi's full speech on RediffOriginals/YouTube HERE
