Lok Sabha elections 2019: Diva plays victim, Nirahua pied piper

RAMPUR: There are no requests from villagers to repeat dialogues from her blockbusters and nor does she carry a celeb halo. In Rampur’s poll theatre, BJP candidate Jaya Prada plays the victim of Azam’s vitriol.

“2004 aur 2009 mein aap sabhi ne jeetaya aur mai aapke beech aaye. Par mujhe mazboori se chorna pada. Par phir bhi jo laaye the, maine unko bahut samman di (You twice elected me and then I had to leave. I am grateful that you have brought me again in your midst),” thundered Jaya Prada on Monday in near impeccable Hindi. The two-time former MP, who has been fielded by BJP as a Lok Sabha candidate is observing Navratra fast.

And she looks venomous while pointing out to her villain Azam. “He stopped my entry at guest houses and hotels and even to family homes. This all began after my win in 2009. It’s a long story,” she said, almost keeping the audience glued to a film plot unfolding in Rampur.

“People treat me like a family member and it’s people like Azam and SP workers who sadly refer to me as naachne gaani wali. I called him bhai, but he hurls abuses,” she adds. Her election managers and BJP leaders are quick to add a twist. “They got ugly when Jaya began visiting temples in Rampur and spending time with Hindu families and this irked Azam,” says Dr Chandramohan, senior BJP leader and spokesperson who is managing her campaign.

At every village and city stop, she sports sarees with golden borders — found in both Banarasi and Kanjeevaram silk pattern. But she dismisses the charge that celebs are paradropped by national parties for glamour quotient.

“Smritiji and Hemaji are both seniors. Celebs have a voice and can change society. We are fighting to make Modiji PM again,” she says.