Recently, pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni with #Melody went viral on social media, which caught people’s attention. But on one hand, this #Melody is being discussed in the country and abroad, on the other hand, the general public in the country’s capital Bhopal is yearning for every drop of petrol and diesel. These days the weather is doubly hot; Firstly, the scorching heat of May and the shortage of fuel have made life difficult for people. In such a situation, where is there a moment’s peace for the leaders? Obviously, questions will be raised on the problems of the public and the priorities of the government will also come under question.
At a time when many petrol pumps in Bhopal are dry and the queues of vehicles on the roads are getting longer, Congress leader Manoj Shukla and his workers chose a unique path of protest. In fact, his initiative was not just a protest but a sharp jibe at the alleged insensitivity of the government. Outside the closed petrol pumps in the city, where people were waiting for fuel for hours, Congress workers distributed ‘Melody Toffees’ to them. This scene was saying a lot in itself. On one side people were drenched in sweat and worried and on the other side they were being handed ‘Melody’.
In fact, during this time, sarcastic songs like “Modi hai to mumkin hai” and “Melodi khao sab bhool jao” were echoing on the loudspeaker. These were mere songs, but through them a sharp attack was being made on the priorities of the Central Government. Making a direct attack on the Central and State Governments, Manoj Shukla said that today the common citizen of the country, whether he is a working person, a laborer or a student, is making rounds of petrol pumps. The supply chain has completely collapsed, but the Prime Minister of our country is not concerned with the plight of the people. His allegation was that the Prime Minister is busy in foreign tours and is showcasing his reel diplomacy by showing ‘Melody Toffee’ on social media. Shukla described this attitude as sprinkling salt on the wounds of the public.
At the same time, Congress officials tried to expose the hollowness of ‘melody’ politics through this demonstration. He said that the crowd gathered at petrol pumps and clogged nozzles are living proof that the government has completely failed in handling law and order and supply chain. When the public is in dire need of petrol, this ‘reel government’ is giving them only phrases and ‘melodies’. That is why today the real face of this government was exposed by symbolically distributing toffee to the public.
Along with hundreds of Congress workers, a large number of local citizens were also present in this protest, who raised slogans against the government and registered their anger. Many prominent leaders and workers like Amit Khatri, Councilor Danish Shabbir Khan, Yuvraj Singh Rai, Mahesh Mehra, Tariq Ali, Vijendra Shukla, Deepak Diwan, Prince Nawange, Usman Ali, Babar Khan, Rahul Sen, Aleem Uddin Bille, Amjad Lala, Shanu Khan, Sandeep Sarvaiya were present on this occasion. This protest was not just against the shortage of petrol, but was a way of questioning the priorities which on one hand are making the public yearn for basic amenities, and on the other hand seem to be busy in ‘reel diplomacy’.
