'Unki planning dekh kar unki side hua hoon.'
'Aur jab bhi koi gandi naali saaf karega toh badbu toh ek baar uthegi hee.'
'Priyanka nahi aayegi toh Congress ki lutiya doob jayegi.'
The best analysis of politics does not come out of air conditioned newsrooms, but from the voices on India's streets.
Rakesh Kumar Singhal -- once an army jawan, then an ONGC employee -- came out of retirement to rent a tea shop opposite a forest on the outskirts of Dehradun.
With his sons well settled and wife working as a warden in a school, he says he enjoys his solitude and sharing his shayaris with the labourers and sundry passersby who come by his shop.
Rediff.com's Archana Masih stopped by for some chai pe charcha with Singhalji, a superb raconteur, who gave his reasons why he has left the Congress and became a huge Modi supporter.
To retain the flavour of his conversation, the interview is being published verbatim in Hindi.
And don't miss his shayaris in the videos!
Photographs and Videos: Seema Pant
Singhalji, yeh BJP ke jhande kisne lagaaye yahan?
Yeh toh party ke log aaye the, kehne lage uncleji laga de, maine kaha bilkul lagao!
Congress wale aayenge toh..
Congressi aayenge toh haath jod doonga.
Kai gaadiya aayi hai Congress ki, slow hui phir chali gayi.
Pichle state election mein aapne BJP ko vote diya tha?
Nahin. Congress ko.
Aur 2014 ke Lok Sabha mein?
Pehle toh Congress ko hee dete the.
Par 2014 mein Modiji ki lehar thi, toh Modiji ko diya tha.
Aap purane Congressi the?
Nahin, aisa kuch nahin tha. (His wife interjects: Hum toh Congreesi hai).
Hum dekhte the ki hamare ilake se jo MLA/MP khada ho raha hai, woh kaun hai.
Usko dekh ke vote karte the.
Ab woh trend badal gaya hai.
Modiji ke aane ke baad yeh badla hai, ki koi bhi aa jaaye vote Modiji ko dena hai.
Matlab humne candidate ko nahin, aadmi ko nahin, Modiji ko dekh ke dena hai.
Vaise kaun khada hai yahan se?
Mere ko kuch nahin maloom.
Woh blind supporter jo ho jaata hai na, iss samay main woh hoon.
Do saal mein Modiji ki kya baatein acchi lagi aapko?
Kuch cheezen bahut achhi lagi.
Unki schemes, jo unki planning hai unke dimaag mein, jab tak hum saath nahin denge toh nahin hoga.
Jaise unhone kisaanon ko bola, arre beti hote hee kyun pareshan hote ho?
Tumhare khet ke jo munderein hai unme ped laga do, jabtak beti shaadi ke layak hogi woh ped lakhon ke ho jaayenge.
Unki planning dekh kar unki side hua hoon.
Aur jab bhi koi gandi naali saaf karega toh badbu toh ek baar uthegi hee.
Log yeh bhi toh bolte hi ki Modiji bolte zyada hai and kaam kam hota hain?
Madam, bolne waala yadi dus kaam bol ke, do kaam bhi kar de, kam se kam do kaam toh ho rahe hai?
Baaki toh sau kaam bol ke bhi ek kaam nahin karte the.
Singhalji aapko lagta hai notebandi ka asar hoga election par?
Kisi bhi sahi aadmi ko nukhsaan nahin hua.
Jo imandaar tha, honest tha.
Shaadi byaah ke liye kehte hai ki notebandi ke karan log samaan nahin khareed paaye.
Aapki reputation itni nahin thi ki kapde waala aapko cheque pe udhaar de dein?
Ki cheque pe aapko jewellerywallah jewellery de dein?
Sabke kaam hue hain.
Par Singhalji sabke saath toh aisa nahin ho sakta hai ki udhaar mil jaaye?
Arre madam, yadi kuch bank ke log galti naa kar gaye hote; paise ki laalach mein naa aate, toh notebandi ke Modiji ne jo 50 din maangey the, 30 din mein samasya hal ho jaati.
Dheere dheere ATM ki lines kam hui. Aaj sab normal ho gaya hai.
Toh aap keh rahe hai notebandi ka positive hee effect hua hai?
Bilkul, mera maanna toh yeh hai.
Baaki sabki apni apni samajh hai.
Haan beech mein thekedaar bada pareshaan hua.
Jab labour paisa maang raha tha aur unke paas paisa nahin tha, unhone Modiji ko gaali bhi di, jhooth kyun bolu.
Tab maine unhe kahan, tum apni pareshani dekh lo, jo border pe baithe hue hain, woh baraf mein, biwi bachhon ke bina bhi toh pareshan ho rahe hain.
Tum yeh black money ki gandagi ko hatane ke liye thoda pareshaan ho rahe toh kya dikkat hain?
Apke yahan jo young log aate hai, unka kya kehna hai?
Nayi generation jo hai woh Modiji ke saath hai.
Usme 30 aur 70 ka ratio le sakte ho -- 70 percent Modiji ke saath, 30 percent Congress ke.
Aapne zyadatar Congress ko vote diya hai, yeh BJP ki taraf badlav kab se aaya?
Rahul Gandhiji ke aane ke baad Congress chhod di.
Saare kaam hee aise kar raha hai yeh.
Kai baar maine dekha hai, Lok Sabha mein baithe hai par apne mobile phone mein hai.
Jab tak Sonia Gandhi saamne thi tab tak theek tha, main Congress ko vote deta tha.
Rahul mein woh baat nahin hai, aur har aadmi usi ko aage badhane ki soch raha hai.
Aapke hisaab se Congress ka kaun sa neta aage aana chahiye?
Inki beti Priyanka...
Par unka bhi toh koi tajurba nahin hai...
Nahin, lekin unke baat karne ka tareeka theek hai.
TV mein dekha hai, bhai behen ke tareekon mein bahut farak hai...
Aur koi neta aapko Rahul ki jagah dikhta hai? Priyanka toh abhi saamne aa nahin rahi hain.
Woh step by step aa rahi hai, jaise abhi unki Akhileshji se baatchit hui hai.
Ekdum se jump karke nahin.
Jaise main hoon, maine yeh dukaan li hai, mera beta jisne kabhi ek grahak ko attend nahin kara, main usko counter par baitha doonga, woh dukaandari saari kharab kar dega.
Aap samajhte hai ki agar Priyanka nahin aayegi toh Congress ka kuch nahin ho sakta?
Haan, nahin toh lutiya doobi hai.
Notebandhi ka aap ke upar kya effect hua hai?
Mere upar koi effect nahin aaya.
Mere paas aati hai labour class, mazdoor jo karte hain dhihadi mazdoori.
Unko milta hai thekedaar se roz sham ko paisa.
Mazdooron ne mere ko bola, lalaji paisa nahin hai lekin chai bhi peeni hai, biskut bhi khana hai.
Mere ko pataa hai imaandar aadmi hai, aaj nahin toh kalko aa jaayega mera paisa, maine bola 10 din baad de dena paisa.
Jitni meri gunjaaish hai main udhaar doonga.
Kaee log ko maine free me bhi pila di chai.
Mereko koi dikkat nahin hui, kyunki jinse main maal leta tha, unhone mujhe udhar de diya.
Ek chai ka aap kitna paise lete hai?
Actual mein gareeb log aate hain yahan par.
Haan bahut se gadiyon waale bhi ruk jaate hain, woh toh apna kar lete hain kharcha.
Lekin gareeb ek chai lete hai, ya ek chai ko do mein kar lete hain, cutting chai woh Bombay wala hisaab.
Ek chai Rs 10 ki deta hoon.
Log yahan 20 rs kharch kar lete hain, uss se zyada nahin.
Ek din mein kitna kama lete hai?
Ek din mein 500 se 2,000 tak sale ho jaati hai.
Ek din mein 200 shaam tak kamaa leta hoon aur uss mein satisfied hoon.
Maine (ONGC) se VRS liya tha aur saara paisa ek saath nikaal liya tha.
Mere dono bete mujhe har mahine kuch paise bhej dete hain, toh mere ko paise ki koi problem nahin hai.
Yeh main sirf iss liye karta hoon ki mere haath per chalte rahe.
Chaar logon se milta hoon, gupshup maarta hoon, aur yahan pradushan nahin hai.
Shaher mein rehta toh shayad 5 saal pehle upar chala jaata, yahan do teen saal zyada reh loonga.
