Jhalmuri retains 'political' flavor but opposition may not have appetite to digest
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
By Damini S
New Delhi, June 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a video having jhalmuri on Wednesday when he achieved the feat of becoming the longest serving premier of India.
A staple snack sold on streets in West Bengal being highlighted by the Prime Minister could be a statement as jhalmuri has not yet lost the political flavor it acquired during the run-up to the West Bengal assembly elections. Though the opposition may have lost the appetite to digest it.
Jhalmuri, a mixture of puffed rice with spices, got into the spotlight when Modi stopped at a roadside stall in Jhargram to relish the flavor during his campaign for the West Bengal elections. The picture of Modi having jhalmuri at a small roadside stall went viral with political overtones.
The BJP highlighted the picture to show the connect Modi had with the common folks while the rival Trinamool Congress workers went viral claiming that everything was choreographed for political gains. The incident snowballed into a social media battle which became a symbolic display of support for BJP and TMC during the campaign.
The BJP-led NDA defeated TMC in the elections but jhalmuri did not lose its political flavor. Apart from sweets, a subtle political message was conveyed by serving jhalmuri at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi during the celebration marking the historic electoral victory in West Bengal.
The West Bengal election was crucial for the BJP as the state was under TMC rule for 15 years. It was a Left bastion earlier with the CPI(M) ruling for 34 years.
On Wednesday, Narendra Modi shared the video of jhalmuri being served to him by the new West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. This was during the celebrations which marked Modi’s feat of surpassing the record of Jawaharlal Nehru as the longest serving Prime Minister of India. The jhalmuri symbolized the crucial electoral victory which showed that Modi was still going strong with 4,399 days and counting.
