Item bombs and elections

Bollywood's raunchy item songs are becoming a source of embarrassment for the Congress and BJP in poll-bound Assam. Rahul Karmakar writes.

Bollywood's raunchy item songs are becoming a source of embarrassment for the Congress and BJP in poll-bound Assam.

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There aren't many Munnis around in these parts to lose sleep over the badnaam (dishonour) song from Salman Khan's Dabangg. But the infectious, lilting number has become a tool for miffed party workers to lampoon and get back at their leaders.

Sample this: Congress bodnaam holhi, Pranati turei baabey… (Congress is in shame because of you, Pranati…).

This parodied song, referring to Assam deputy speaker Pranati Phukan, has reportedly come out of the Youth Congress creative factory in eastern Assam's Naharkatiya constituency. Reason: Phukan's alleged apathy toward the constituency despite winning it since 1996.

The Munni 'remake', though, isn't as "offensive" as a popular Assamese song that goes Baare, baare kiyo diya misa pratisruti… (Why do you always make false promises?). The 'insult' that this song hurls at Phukan made the local unit of the Congress lodge a complaint with the Naharkatiya police station on Thursday.

"We have arrested a BJP panchayat president and registered a case against him for trying to malign the legislator with distorted songs," said a senior police officer from Naharkatiya on Friday, declining to be quoted.

Disgruntled elements within the BJP have also twisted Katrina Kaif's item number from Tees Maar Khan that isn't likely to be music for the ears of senior party leaders L.K. Advani and Nitin Gadkari.

A take-off on the Sheila ki jawani song, the BJP barb at party leaders goes: "Varun, Nitin Advani/Prahlad's risky for you, haaribi aamar kotha nemaani… (you'll lose because you ignored us)"

Prahlad here is Prahlad Bhuyan, the BJP's 'unknown' candidate for Morigaon constituency 75 km east of Guwahati. Local party workers are angry that BJP fielded him and at least five other 'sure losers' in a 'secret deal' with the Asom Gana Parishad.

"Our party leaders are honourable people, and they know who or what is best for us," said BJP's Assam unit president Ranjit Dutta. He added that in a democratic country, everybody has a right to speak out, musically or otherwise.