Platter politics: How Arvind Kejriwal has joined Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi in dining with poor

On Monday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal shared a meal at an auto driver’s home in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad.

However, the road to the auto driver’s residence was far from smooth.

While travelling to Vikram Dantani’s house in Ghatlodia area via auto, Kejriwal engaged in war of words with the Gujarat police.

The state police made effort to stop the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo from ferrying the auto ride citing security.

To which, the Delhi chief minister replied in Hindi, “I’m a public representative and you’re saying I can’t travel in public… this is a taint on Gujarat’s level of security.”

“Give your security to your chief minister…I don’t want it. I am a public man, I live in public, I don’t want your security” Kejriwal was heard in a video shared by AAP’s Goa chief ministerial candidate Amit Palekar.

After reaching his destination, Kejriwal, along with Gujarat AAP leaders Isudan Ghadvi, Gopal Italia and Indranil Rajyaguru, broke bread with Dantani.

Sharing pictures from the auto driver’s house, which shows the AAP convenor sitting on the floor with a plate of food in front of him, Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, “In Ahmedabad, auto driver Vikrambhai Dantani lovingly took him home for dinner, introduced him to the whole family, treated him with delicious food with great respect. Heartfelt thanks to Vikrambhai and all the auto driver brothers of Gujarat for this immense affection.”

How did Arvind Kejriwal’s visit to an auto driver’s house come about? Which other politicians have dined with the poor ahead of the election season?

Let’s take a closer look:

Kejriwal’s ‘fan’ extends invitation

Kejriwal, who is on a two-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat, interacted with auto-rickshaw drivers in Ahmedabad on Monday.

Dantani, who was present at the gathering, told Kejriwal he was his fan and invited him for dinner at his home.

Kejriwal readily accepted, agreeing to meet him at 8 pm. “Will you pick me up from my hotel in your auto?” the Delhi chief minister asked Dantani, to which he responded in the affirmative.

Slamming Kejriwal, who is trying to upend the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Assembly elections, Gujarat minister of state for home Harsh Sanghvi said, “What an actor!”

Kejriwal, aiming to expand AAP nationwide and put up a challenge to Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, has taken a leaf out of the national political parties’ book.

Narendra Modi’s lunch with workers

In December, after inaugurating the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shared lunch with the project’s construction workers.

Modi shared photos of him felicitating the workers and having lunch with them.

He wrote, “Behind the success of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham project is the hardwork of countless individuals. During today’s programme I had the opportunity to honour them and have lunch with them. My Pranams to these proud children of Bharat Mata!”

In April that year, the Indian prime minister had paid a visit to L&T workers’ residential complex and interacted with the workers over tea and snacks during an official trip to Riyadh.

Amit Shah’s Bengal meal

During the crucial West Bengal Assembly elections in 2021, Union home minister Amit Shah, while canvassing for the BJP, had lunched out at the home of rickshawala at Domjur in the Howrah district.

Accompanied by Domjur BJP candidate Rajib Banerjee and other leaders, Shah ate rice, dal, vegetables and salad in earthen utensils.

In November 2020, Shah relished Bengali delicacies at the house of a tribal BJP worker in Chaturdihi village in the Bankura district.

Amit Shah had lunch at the house of a tribal BJP worker in Bengal in 2020. Twitter/@AmitShah

Not only in Bengal, the BJP leader has also had a meal with the marginalised in Uttar Pradesh.

Eyeing the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections,  Shah took a meal at the home of a Dalit family in Varanasi’s Jogiyapur village.

Rahul Gandhi

In 2016, Rahul, flanked by then Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ghulam Nabi Azad, had stopped for a meal at a Dalit family’s house in Mau.

Rahul and Azad (who has now quit Congress) were served roti and potato chokha by Rukmina Devi, wife of Swaminath Ram, who hosted the politicians.

However, after the meal, the family told ANI they had to borrow items from others to prepare food for the Congress leaders.

Yogi Adityanath

On 26 April, 2018, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath ate at a Dalit household in Amroha’s Mehandipur village.

Yogi Adityanath had a meal at a Dalit household in UP. Twitter/@myogiadityanath

The sub-divisional magistrate had instructed the pradhan of the Mehandipur village, Priyanka Devi, and her husband Gajendra Singh, to cook arhar dal, aloo parwal, lauki, tori, rice, chapatis, mooli-chukandar salad for the chief minister, as per ThePrint.

Platter politics

Experts say such ‘platter politics’ usually occurs prior to elections, with mostly ‘upper caste’ politicians visiting and breaking bread with the families of impoverished Dalits.

“If rural Dalit vote is the target, then there are Dalit sarpanchs and grassroot leaders who can articulate the concerns of the community. Yet, when the time for the photo ops arrive, our politicians and their media teams go to the homes of the most marginalised and vulnerable Dalit families, and burden their household with charity they may have never asked for. How is this imagery of false generosity, powerlessness, and indignity an acceptable visual for demonstrating engagement with Dalit voters?” writes Benson Neethipudi, a public sector consultant, for ThePrint.

With inputs from agencies

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