It’s election time in Kolkata this week. That means the city is abuzz with noise and colour. There are mega road shows with political bigwigs like the Prime Minister himself, And there are little corner rallies and street theatre
STREET THEATRE
This election is about electing the next state government but there’s more at stake. The ruling party in Kolkata, the populist Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011 ousting the Communists after over 3 decades of rule. Now there’s incumbent fatigue and corruption scandals as the party and its leader Mamata Banerjee seeks a fourth term. And the ruling BJP party in Delhi is smelling an opportunity to oust it and rule the state of West Bengal for the first time ever.
A voter roll revision has knocked off over 8 million voters from the electorate. Trinamool alleges the central government is using the Electoral Commission to prune the list to its advantage. The BJP insists Trinamool wants a bloated list with bogus voters for its own ends. Both sides claim that the future of democracy is at stake here.
So there’s speeches, memes, social media campaigns, and catchy campaign songs saying the game is on
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But the big issue in this election is fish.
This is Sandip Roy in Kolkata
Local BJP candidates were seen going around not just with the usual manifesto and voter slips but actual fish. Katla, a big carp type fish common in these parts
FISH CAMPAIGN
What the fish? Well, fish curry and rice is standard diet in bengal a state criss crossed by rivers. It is sacrosanct. In her later years when she could no longer go to the fish market my mother would have the fishmonger come to our house carrying fish on his bicycle and then they would engage in some feisty bargaining over the fish.
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Cutthroat prices my mother would complain. Rockbottom for this quality he would protest and then they would arrive at some happy compromise.
All this to say fish is like religion in these parts.
In neighbouring Bangladesh, when the ruler Sheikh Hasina was toppled from power, the people who looted her house were seen leaving with raw fish from her refrigerator.
And the BJP whose top leaders are vegetarian has a reputation for being anti fish meat even eggs. Some of its supporters have forced butcher shops to close down during religious festivals in other states. In a state where a survey showed 65 percent of the residents eat fish every week the Trinamool government is putting the fear of fish in the electorate saying if the BJP comes to power there goes the fish and mutton.
BJP candidate Swapan Dasgupta pooh poohed those claims telling NDTV channel he eats fish and meat. The fish issue he says is just a distraction. He doesn’t need to campaign holding fish because everyone knows he likes his fish and meat.
SD1: India is not one dietary zone. There are many dietary zones in India, and they happily coexist without any problem whatsoever. And I don't think anybody is going to get offended by the fish eating or the meat eating thing.
But Mamata Banerjee, the state’s chief minister dared the Prime Minister who is vegetarian to come and eat some fish curry and rice. She said she would be happy to cook him some herself
MAMATA: Khaben na ektu macher jhol? Macher jhal tok? Mach Baja? Chicken curry.
The Prime Minister stuck to local vegetarian puffed rice snack but another BJP leader came to town and to prove there was nothing fishy about his party, ate fish and rice on camera.
FISH AND RICE - Mach bhi hai machli bhi bhaat bhi
Locals sniggered at how he used BOTH hands to debone the fish. Fish novice, they scoffed.
It sounds funny but in the end there are deeper issues at play here like the freedom of choice to eat what you want. Every election campaign tries to set up someone as the other.
This time in bengal both parties are using fish to prove their local credentials. And if it wins the BJP says it will invite journalists to a victory party where they will serve what else but fried fish.
And it won’t be a red herring.
This is Sandip Roy in Kolkata for KALW