Known to be a small eater when Prime Minister Narendra Modi bought a packet of jhal muri (spicy puffed rice) at Jhargram and bhabra bhaja(chick flour fritter) at Purulia, both the humble street food had a sharp surge of popularity.
The prime minister is known for his strong social
media presence and mass appeal. Small wonder, jhal muri has reportedly crossed more than 10 crore searches in the Google, while foodies are on the lookout for bhabra bhaja across the country.
The prime minister is neither a gourmet nor a gourmand. Yet his gesture gained traction in the political circles together with drawing sharp jibes from the Opposition.
PM Modi has turned the occasion into rhetorical flourish. The jhal muri, much preferred. by the common man, has delivered a “stinging shock” to the Trinamool Congress, be said at a rally in Krishnanagar.
The jhal muri has been included in the menu of the likely victory celebration of BJP on May 4 by Modi. Bhabra bhaja will be there too, the PM announced in his Purulia rally.
The reaction from the TMC camp have not been s
as sharp as those coming forth from it on earlier occasions. Perhaps the TMC leaders feared rubbing party supremo Mamata Banerjee the wrong way.
After all, it she who said that the jobless youth should open fritter (telebhaja) shops. Underscoring the point, some of the fritter shop owners near her residence have made fortunes, she added..
Jokes apart, no other snack echoes the heat and pungency of the high decibel campaign trail like jhal muri. One cannot lose sight of the fact that traditional maach-bhat continues to be the symbol of the cultural identity of West Bengal.
To stoke food identity politics in this state, senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur tucked into maach bhat at a lunch during the ongoing campaign trail. His point may have. been well made but the one .made by the prime minister is on a different level altogether. touching the .man in the street who make the majority in the poll season
Yet the prime minister’s stop over at jhal muri and bhabra bhaja shops offer a different perspective. In this hurly burly election time it
offers a lens to view the electoral spectacle.
Jhal muri is made with ingredients ranging from puffed rice, onion and tomato slivers, peanuts, pieces of chilly and mustard oil. The result is not necessarily harmonious but an exciting new whole.
It is so much like a poll campaign whose schedules are set and reset by change of weather, security reasons and size of the crowd of listeners. It is just like jhal muri..
Commonalites with jhal muri continue The election process especially the ongoing one has strong degrees of truculence and crunch like this streetside snack.
Just as the eyes water and tounge smart at the taste of jhal muri and bhabra bhaja, so is the plight of a prime minister or a humble activist under the cruel sun on vast rally grounds. It can be parched Purulia or concrete jungle of Kolkata.
The purpose of jhal muri and bhabra bhaja is not to sate an empty belly.Just as election alerts voters to new possibilities, this effect is similar like this spicy and pungent on the jaded palate.
One user wrote in the X handle that many people were unaware of bhabra bhaja owing to neglect of the region. Mention by the prime minister brought it into the spotlight.
The X handle user may be unaware but the post points an accusing finger at the Trinamool state government. After all, Purulia district is part of the state and its neglect is laid at the door of the party running the affairs of West Bengal
Prime minister Modi’s job of criticising TMC dispensation in the state is thus done by a netizen. One is still in the dark about the election outcome, but by tasting the inocuous jhal muri and bhabra bhaja, Prime Minister Modi has set a unique instance of outreach to the voters
