Over 150 performance artistes from Kathputli colony in Shadipur in West Delhi kept the celebrations going through the day as party workers and supporters flocked the Bharatiya Janata Party central office on Ashoka Road here on Friday.
Across the road from the office, visitors were served ‘NaMo’ chai with Narendra Modi’s image etched next to that of the Parliament, giving final touches to the party’s finely-choreographed campaign.
BJP leaders took turns to address those gathered from a stage set up outside the office, while results from all over the country were displayed on a large LCD screen set next to the stage.
At 1.15 pm, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, along with vice-president Venkaiah Naidu by his side, addressed the gathering.
“I have seen several elections since the 1950s as a party worker and then a candidate, but this election will remain unprecedented. The media will analyse the results, but it cannot be fully analysed at this moment,” said Mr. Advani. “There are no parallels to the parakram [valour] Mr. Modi has displayed, and the people have shown that they will not tolerate corruption, bad governance and they want swaraj ,” he said, with parts of his speech nearly drowned out by the sound of drums and chants of ‘Modi-Modi’.
Besides drummers, dancers, musicians, artistes performed on stilts and snake charmers played their tune. Two elephants, Gulabo and Ino, with lotuses drawn on them in orange and green chalk, waited at the entrance to the road leading to the BJP office. Several young party workers in t-shirts reading ‘I MODI-fied India’ and ‘NaMo for PM’ were scribbling on message boards placed next to the ‘NaMo tea stall’.
“We have started believing in Modi like God. We have heard so much about Gujarat. Now like Gujarat, the country too will be number one under Mr. Modi,” said Rekha Saxena, a BJP functionary from Chitrakoot in East Delhi.
Sumer Chand Gupta, who accompanied over 40 young members of BJP naturopathy cell as they danced on the road outside the central office, said this spectacular win will provide an opportunity to set up naturopathy cells across villages and districts in the country.
Several artistes from Kathputli colony in Shadipur, hired for the day to perform the traditional dandiya , ghoomar and kalbeliya dances said many of them had voted for the BJP this time, switching loyalties from the Congress. “The Congress had promised that they will help us retain the colony where we lived, but never did anything in the last 15 years. We wanted to give Mr. Modi a chance,” said artiste Arun Bhatt while walking on stilts in a shiny red costume.
At the RSS office in Jhandewalan, joint secretary Dattatreya Hosbole, who is on a visit from Maharashtra, congratulated Mr. Modi and the BJP. “This is a miraculous victory, but not completely unexpected. We hope the new government will fulfil the expectations of the millions who wanted change. Achche din waale hain [Good days are here],” he smiled.
