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Journalism of Courage
They are both fiery poets stitching together verses laced with potent political messages. And now, their songs are being used as ammunition by political parties in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.
Neha Singh Rathore (25), the Bihar-based Bhojpuri artiste who has been releasing songs around elections for some time now, believes that “a poet should show the mirror to society” and that it is an “artist’s right to question the government”.
Her UP counterpart, poet Anamika Jain Amber (37), is the polar opposite on the ideological spectrum. She doesn’t shy away from celebrating the ruling BJP government policies, saying that “she stands with nationalistic forces”.
In the past few days, senior leaders from both parties have been using their songs, which are based on the recent political developments in the state, to take aim at each other. The issues range from the Sidhi urination case, which threatens to upend the BJP’s tribal support, to the CM’s “gamechanger” policies for women and corruption allegations plaguing the state.
Rathore, who earlier released the song UP mein ka ba? around the UP Assembly elections, released her song, MP mein ka ba? (What does MP have?) on July 13. This was right after four FIRs were registered against her in MP for allegedly defaming the RSS after she had shared a caricature related to the Sidhi tribal urination case.
Dressed in sari and sporting a bindi, Rathore sings about corruption allegations in her song which has clocked over 7.5 lakh views on Twitter. Spanning over a minute, her song references a “Kansa Mama” and “Shakuni Mama” and a “Sword of Mama” which hangs over the head of the tribals, while referencing the Sidhi tribal urination case.
Some of the corruption scandals she raises are allegations raised by the Congress, like the use of poor quality materials in the construction of the Saptarishi idols on the Mahakal Lok corridor, widespread rigging in the Patwari exams after seven of those who topped were found to be from the test centre owned by a BJP MLA, alleged irregularities in a pension scheme for widows, and the long-running Vyapam scam allegations.
It immediately drew a reaction from Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who, at a public rally at Badwani on July 16, said, “The protection of our sister and public comes first for us. But the Congress abuses me a lot. They say Kansa Mama, Shakuni Mama. They are uploading videos, I don’t know what Ka-Ba, Ka-Ba. My sister, do you think I am Kansa Mama?”
Thereafter, state Education Minister Vishwas Sarang listed out the government’s achievements, stating, “In MP there is ‘Double engine sarkar ba, Shivraj ka vikas ba, Ladli Behana Yojana ba’.”
Speaking to The Indian Express, Rathore said, “I did not say the CM was Kansa. Why take it personally? We sometimes have mamas (uncles) who behave like Kansa, I was talking about that. There are four FIRs against me for sharing a post on the Sidhi urination case. The government is scared. I then worked on the MP song because it is election time and the perfect opportunity to mount pressure on the government and ask them questions. Raising the voice of the common man is my duty.”
Rathore, who grew up in village Jandaha in Bihar’s Kaimur district and has built a following of millions with her YouTube videos, came into the spotlight after she released Bihar mein ka ba? during the Bihar Assembly elections in 2020, eliciting a response from the then ruling BJP-JDU government, which listed out its achievements with the song, Bihar mein ee ba.
Then, in the run-up to the UP polls in 2022, she released her song UP mein ka ba?, eliciting a strong response from the state government, which sent her legal notices.
It was right at this time that Anamika penned her song ‘UP mein Baba Hai’, which narrated the list of achievements of the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government.
Anamika’s new song, ‘MP mein Mama Magic Karat Hai’ has been widely shared by senior BJP leaders in the state, including several party MLAs and ground level workers.
In this song, which has clocked over 2.5 lakh views on Twitter, Anamika lauds CM Chouhan for his contribution in “transforming” MP from its BIMARU tag, his schemes for the women in the state, and action on criminal elements.
“I see myself as a nationalist poet. I support the government, I support parties which work for the nation. Everyone has the freedom to express themselves, but they should not show disrespect through their words,” Anamika told The Indian Express.
From UP’s Lalitpur district, next to the MP border, Anamika started composing poems when in school. The mother of two sons, she said it was important to write about good things the government has done. “The CM washed the feet of the tribal man. Does anyone do that? He has helped transform MP from a dysfunctional state. It is historic. These are facts. Yes, a poet is a mirror to society, but if you raise shortcomings, you must also speak about the good things. Neha is a good artist, we both have our freedom to express ourselves, there is no competition.”
Neha, on the other hand, said, “I will keep asking questions. That will not stop. I am now composing MP mein Ka Ba Part 2. It will be released soon.”
