BJP man sings to win votes

BJP's Ambala candidate Rattan Lal Kataria is using his childhood passion for singing and is borrowing verses from Hindi films to seek votes.

As a 12-year-old he received an award from Jawahar Lal Nehru for his singing skills. Now, as a 53-year-old, he is using his melodious voice to seek votes for the BJP.

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For Rattan Lal Kataria, BJP candidate for Ambala Lok Sabha constituency seeking re-election, his passion for singing since childhood is coming handy as he borrows the lines from old and new popular Hindi film songs and then re-writes his own lines on the same tune that reflect the achievements of BJP-le NDA led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The parodist uses the song from all-time hit like Mughal-e-Azam "tere mehfil mein kismat aazma kar hum be dekhangay" which he sings like this in his various public meetings "kamal (BJP poll symbol) kay phool par mohar lagakar hum be dekhangay ...Atalji kay zara nazdeek jakar hum be dekhangay".

"I find this is a novel way to communicate with people. For me, it serves dual purpose, one singing and writing poetry is a hobby for me and the other reason is that the message goes down well with the masses. Routine speeches can be boring sometimes and I have found that people listen to you more keenly," says the former Haryana BJP chief.

Exuding confidence that his magic will work this time too, Kataria, who holds a masters and a law degree, says it is not just his songs which people enjoy, but as a MP the developmental works carried out in Ambala constituency also give him an edge over his rivals.