Donning saffron caps, fruit vendors play BJP star campaigners; Cong, AAP cry foul

Fruit and vegetable vendors at Surat vegetable market seem to have earned a place of pride as star campaigners for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Gujarat Assembly polls. They openly don BJP caps and shawls at their stalls and boldly tell visitors the reasons for it. But, the AAP and Congress call it pre-planned event management.

Surat: Fruit and vegetable vendors seem to have earned a place of pride as star campaigners for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Gujarat Assembly polls. The BJP has apparently lined up a long motley list of star campaigners to improve winning prospects of its contesting candidates going by the manner in which the vendors are also actively and openly displaying their loyalty to the BJP nominee at Surat vegetable market.

These vendors are donning BJP caps and shawls while selling their products from their stalls at Surat market. They are boldly telling visitors they are sporting BJP campaign material out of their free will. While these vendors give their own reasons for openly supporting the BJP, rival parties, the Aamd Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress are calling it a pre-planned event management.

Normally, parties' members and supporters wear the election related shawls and caps when physically campaigning for their respective parties. These vendors in Surat vegetable market are resembling BJP campaign activists as they wear caps on their head and scarves round their neck. Sporting this campaigning material the entire day at the vegetable market, the vendors are now being called BJP's star campaigners.

The majority of vegetable vendors, according to a well-known vegetable and fruit seller running for the BJP in Surat's City Light area, are North Indian citizens. They used to sell fruits and vegetables while sitting by the side of the road, but thanks to the BJP, they now have a spot at the vegetable market and are earning a decent livelihood. Because of this, the vendors are openly espousing the cause of the BJP electioneering, says a vendor.

It is important to note that BJP corporator Vrijesh Undakat denied that BJP brought pressure on the vendors to sport their party caps. The BJP leaders assert that since their party is fighting for the average man, it is drawing direct support from different sections. The same is the case with the fruit and vegetable sellers in Surat vegetable market who are spontaneously donning sashes and caps for the BJP, the party leaders say.

According to Yogesh Jadwani, a spokeswoman for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), this is all pre-planned event management, and the poor and common people are unable to resist the pressure from the BJP leaders. The BJP is manipulating them but on the polling day, they will undoubtedly vote for the AAP candidate, he said.

Anup Rajput, a spokesperson for the Congress, claimed that the BJP has been abusing its authority and insulting people in a variety of ways of which the vendors issue is one. People are being forcibly made to wear sashes and hats. If they protest, they would face harassment, these simple folks can't and won't put up a stiff resistance.