A strong BJP supporter, Manhas claims he got so nervous, he thought he couldn’t sing on the day of the recording. “I thought it was all gone, but Prof Nirmal Singh was particular that I should sing for the commercial. So I prayed before the picture of Ma Saraswati, had a glass of water and managed to do it.” He added, “When the commercial was finally released four days after, I saw it had gone very well.”

Lyricist Pyasa Anjum is also a BJP supporter. “The ‘Bam Bam Bole’ song inspired the people during the agitation. BJP leaders like Prof Nirmal Singh strived to meet the needs of the people of Jammu. He went to jail as well in support of the agitation.”

Pleased as it may be with its efforts, the BJP is facing criticism for trying to cash in on the emotions that ran high during nearly two-month-long agitation and for attempting to recreate the emotionally charged atmosphere of the time. The agitation had been called off by the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS) on August 31 after Jammu witnessed some of its worst incidents of communal violence.

State BJP president Ashok Khajuria insisted, “We want to only convey right information through the television commercials. People are free to relate or not relate to it.” But there is no doubting the fact that the BJP is using the far-reaching medium of television in an unprecedented way.

“The BJP is spending a lot on the TV commercials. In fact, the BJP first started political commercials. All other political parties followed the trend. In the 2002 elections, only the TV scrolls of ‘vote for and support the candidate’ were run, but in these elections revenue from political advertisements is more than ever before,” said Rajinder Arora, additional managing director of J and K Media Network Private Ltd.

... contd.