Singing the BJP’s tune, the songsters taking the ‘400 paar’ message to voters

Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama and a Nehru jacket, Prerna, who started off singing bhajans, also sings of “Modi ka parivar (Modi’s family)” and “Modi ki guarantee (Modi’s guarantee)” and highlights “India’s standing in the world”. The teenager is not the only singer singing about Modi’s return for a third term and the BJP’s election issues. There is also her “inspiration” Kavi Singh, a 25-year-old singer from Rohtak in Haryana and 31-year-old Pardeep Boora who is also a Haryanvi, part of a group of singers who dabble in a genre that has broadly come to be labelled as Hindutva pop.

For the 15-year-old, this is not a new terrain. She has made music about Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past. Her first song on Modi was called “Chowkidar (Watchman”), a reference to the BJP’s 2019 poll slogan for the PM and was released leading up to that year’s general elections. It has around 20 million views to date. The themes she sings about range from China to the Ayodhya Ram Temple consecration.

“I met (Union Transport and Highways Minister) Nitin Gadkari, who told me he had seen the Chowkidar song. Even (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah featured my song once at a rally,” she tells The Indian Express.

Though Prerna’s family has no affiliation with the BJP, they claim to have good ties with several top party leaders, including current Bikaner MP and Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. “We even met PM Modi,” says Prerna, pointing to a picture of her with the PM. “I saw him last August at an airport when he visited Rajasthan and it was a great experience.“

Prerna’s songs are written by a poet in Lucknow and are composed by either her father or music teacher. She says she wants to focus on her singing and better her talent. “Sirf BJP ke mudde ke baare main gaati hai (We only sing of the BJP’s issues),” her father Girdhari emphasises.

Then there is Kavi Singh on whom Prerna has modelled much of her appearance in music videos. The song that boosted Singh’s career was one on the Pulwama attack in 2019. She tells The Indian Express that her foster father uploaded the song on WhatsApp and it became a hit overnight, becoming the background track in several videos on social media.

Singh has also sung songs on Article 370 abrogation, Ram Mandir, Hindutva, and “Akhand Bharat” – the Hindu right-wing’s idea of an undivided Hindu nation. In a song called Hindutva, she sings, “Kaho garajkar hum Hindu aur Hindustan humara (Proclaim loudly that we are Hindu and Hindustan is ours).”

Singh also says that the BJP approached her to make a song on the PM titled “Phir Modi ko le aao (Let us bring Modi back)”. The song was uploaded two weeks ago and has around 57,000 views till now. Last year, she sang a similar song about bringing Modi back to power, titled 2024 Main Modi Ko Lana Hai (In 2024, we have to bring Modi to power).

Singh says she “only sings what is true”. This time, she adds, the “BJP will not get as many seats” and will not cross 300. “I campaign for leaders, share the stage, and even deliver speeches … But I do a background check of the leaders who approach me. I check with local RSS leaders before I sing or appear for them. While I support BJP causes, I also take money for rallies according to the time, place and needs of candidates,” she says.

But it is not just the two. Boora, who has sung 29 commercial songs to date, has also released a “400 paar” song. In a video that went viral on Facebook, Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari and BJP’s national secretary O P Dhankar were seen dancing to the song at a hall in Delhi. Unlike the other two, Boora joined the BJP in 2022 and this is his first song for the party. “I have written two more songs. One of these is on the Ram Mandir. I am singing on behalf of the people of the country. Everyone wants Modi ji back in power,” he says.

Meanwhile, the Congress has also released an official poll song, “Haath badalega halat (Congress will help improve the situation)” but it has received a tepid response, with about 15,000 views since its release on April 15.

“We are seeking votes and stating that your vote can change the state of affairs, in your household and country. It speaks of the promises made in the Congress’s manifesto … It has resonated well with people as can be seen from the response we have been getting,” says Congress communications war room chairperson Vaibhav Walia.