WB: Paresh Rawal's Fish Remark Fits Well with BJP's Divisive Politics
Souvik Ghosh
RENOWNED actor and former BJP MP Paresh Rawal has hit the headlines with his remark at an election campaign rally in Gujarat. He told the gathering: "If gas cylinders get expensive, they will become cheaper again. If inflation goes up, it will come down. People will get employment too. But what if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with the gas cylinders? First cook fish for the Bengalis?"
It shows that BJP is facing hardship in Gujarat. The opprobrious ‘Gujarat Model’ is not working anymore, at least for the campaigners of it certainly. The temperament of the BJP is never pro-democratic, and people are aware of that. On the eve of the election, that very mood goes even worse and Paresh Rawal was on the stage. He might be missing the shooting floor, where scenes can be undone, and dialogues can be rewritten. Cinematic reality must have allured him to utter such rubbish. But there are a few things to remember.
Seriously, the fish matters the least. Paresh Rawal later tweeted an apology and said it was not the fish but illegal immigrants he referred to. The question is how does he know that Delhi is now a place filled with Rohingyas. It is a historic, cultural and social reality of our country that Bengali-speaking people are in many corners of our geography. And, the same can be true for others too, reflecting the diversity of our country. BJP ignores this fact, as they are always willing to change not only the syllabus but also the history of India itself.
Gujarat Model is how international finance capital wants our country to become – the model where profits accrue to a very few, with large number of people pushed to destitution levels. The people of Gujarat are aggrieved at these objective factors. Hence, the ruling BJP is resorting to its old trick to divide people.
Md. Salim, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and West Bengal state secretary, filed a complaint in the matter at Talatala Police Station on December 1, under sections 153, 153A, 153B, 504, and 505 of the IPC.
