Judeo, Unspooled

Sounding more than a little unhinged, the BJP8217;s newly anointed 8216;8216;star campaigner8217;8217;, Dilip Singh Judeo, is swearing ...

Sounding more than a little unhinged, the BJP8217;s newly anointed 8216;8216;star campaigner8217;8217;, Dilip Singh Judeo, is swearing eternal vengeance against Ajit Jogi and making crude attempts to rouse communal feelings among the gentle people of this picturesque village in the heart of 8216;Judeo country8217; in his speeches.

Arriving in a helicopter at a rally here on Saturday, that had something to do with the enthusiastic turnout of women and children, the moustache-twirling ex-minister was greeted with cries of 8216;Jai Judeo8217; and 8216;Jashpur ka lal hai, Jogi ka kaal hai8217; Jashpur8217;s son, Jogi8217;s nemesis.

Perhaps buoyed by the enthusiasm and the palpable devotion of the villagers to their erstwhile 8216;Raja8217;, Judeo made a rambling speech strewn with expletives and vulgarities.

While talking of the need to be proud Hindus, Judeo claimed that 8216;8216;in Italy, they are making shoes and hawai chappals with Lord Ganesh imprinted on them and even commode seats have Goddess Kali and Ganesh figures8217;8217;.

After graphically explaining to the bewildered villagers what a commode meant, he said: 8216;8216;Doesn8217;t this make your blood boil?8217;8217;

He jumped from this allegation to call upon 8216;8216;our Christian brothers8217;8217;8212;in a distinctly unbrotherly tone8212;not to forget the Hindu culture of their ancestors and return to the fold.

Chief Minister Ajit Jogi also came in for abuse, though Judeo did not mention the VCD showing him taking cash.

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It was left to the local BJP leaders to attack Jogi for the 8216;8216;fraud8217;8217;.

Judeo attacked Jogi for the 8216;8216;humiliation8217;8217; he had heaped on him in the past and recounted two instances at length.

8216;8216;When he became Chief Minister and addressed a meeting at this very spot, he did not have the decency to reserve a chair for me. I sat under that mohua tree and vowed to take revenge. And I did. When the PM had a meeting and Jogi was present, I refused to take that badmash8217;s name.8217;8217;

The second instance was when Jogi apparently removed the marble plaque 8216;Jashpur Hall8217; at Raj Kumar College in Raipur. The Judeo family, which has studied in that school for princelings for generations, had donated Rs 30 lakh and therefore the plaque. But Jogi had it removed, he said, adding: 8216;8216;Don8217;t you want to avenge that humiliation?8217;8217;

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Judeo also asserted that he was certain of taking revenge on Jogi. 8216;8216;If I don8217;t, my son will get even with his son, and if he fails my grandson will. Don8217;t worry8212;he will not get away.8217;8217;

Asserting that he did not believe in turning the other cheek, Judeo said that within 15 days the BJP would be in power in Raipur and he would personally make sure that every pro-Jogi officer 8216;8216;was transferred to places where they won8217;t be able to make even a chavanni 25 paise8217;8217;.

He reiterated his vow to shave his moustache if the Congress won, and called upon his loyal subjects to stave off the royal barber, come December 4. In Jashpur, at least, the people are likely to oblige him.