Facing stiff resistance from farmers ever since he started canvassing, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Faridkot candidate Hans Raj Hans is turning to Sufi music to soothe flaring tempers.
Farmers, who have been on the warpath with the BJP government at the Centre over their pending demands, have been staging protests and heckling the party candidates every time they go to villages for canvassing.
Sensing the tension on ground – Hans Raj Hans, the singer-turned-politician, has been pulling all stops to win over the farmers – from reciting Sufi Saint Baba Farid’s shoklas to taking the middle ground and offering to turn a mediator between the farmers and the government.
He has also been seen dancing to his popular song, “Nachan Toh Pehlan”, with a group of morning walkers at a park in Moga, tweaking the lyrics of one of his songs, “Eh jo thandi thandi aoundi ae hawa, kamal wala phul khilega, Modi ji da suneha deo ja, kamal wala phul khilega”, to woo voters.
A group of farmers on Tuesday posed questions to Hans in Gidderbaha where he was canvassing. Farmers sought the BJP candidate’s reply on erecting barricades by the Haryana government at the border points and firing of tear gas shells at farmers who wanted to head towards Delhi in February in support of their demands.
Speaking to the media here, the BJP candidate said, “Some farmers’ unions are constantly protesting against me but that does not mean all farmers are against me. People in the constituency are giving me so much love; even now farmers andDalits are inviting me to their homes.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking to the media here, the BJP candidate said, “Some farmers’ unions are constantly protesting against me but that does not mean all farmers are against me. People in the constituency are giving me so much love; even now farmers andDalits are inviting me to their homes.”
{{/usCountry}}“The only thing I don’t like is the language the protesters use. They are abusive, which is not a good thing. I have always spoken to them politely because this is the city of Baba Farid, so we should respect his teachings,” he said. The Sufi singer, who represented Delhi’s North-West constituency in the 17th Lok Sabha, was shifted to the Faridkot seat for the upcoming elections by the BJP, with an aim to expand the party’s base among Scheduled Caste voters. So far, no senior BJP leader has turned up for campaigning in Faridkot.