The build-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election has been nothing short of dramatic. The past month has comprised of money-for-votes accusations, targeted campaigns such as the distribution of lotus symbol-printed disposable tea cups, as well as India’s national broadcaster airing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in violation of the model code. Simply put, political parties have been trying to outsmart each other consistently. To this end, a new platform has been found to peddle party propaganda: Hindi television soap operas.

One such is Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!, a classic comedy show that won the Indian Telly Awards (ITA) numerous times. Aired for the first time on March 2, 2015, the show comes with an 8.4/10 rating on IMDb and is based on two men—Manmohan and Narayan—trying to impress each other’s spouses, i.e. their respective bhabis (sisters-in-law). This eventually lands them in new comic situations with each passing episode. The former plays the role of a successful businessman who is married to a simple girl while the latter is unemployed but married to a super-modern wife.

However, the serial’s 1,070th episode that aired on April 4, 2019, stands out. Instead of tickling one’s funny bone, the show throws a not-so-subtle plug of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his “achievements”.

The scene we’re referring to is set at a local chai shop, where four men are sitting and chatting. Bits of crumpled paper are littered on the floor. Seeing this, one of the men (who is relatively older than the other three) begins schooling the others. “Yeh tumhare mann ki gandagi hai jo sadak pe saaf dikhai de rahi hai (The garbage in your heart is clearly reflected on the road).” One of the characters—a chubby and sheepish-looking fellow who doesn’t seem to get the cryptic statement made by his senior—asks the older man to be straightforward and not talk in riddles.

In a not-so-subtle but subtle way, the first man attributes the nation’s cleanliness to a singular person—Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He says: “Sharam karo, ek woh aadmi hai, jo din raat desh ki akandhta, swacchata ki baat karta hai, aur ek taraf tumlog ho jo pure Kanpur shaher ko gandagi ka gowdown bana raka hai (Have some shame. On one hand, there is a person who bends backwards for the sake of the country’s cleanliness and hygiene, while on the other, there are people like you who have turned Kanpur into a godown).”

Before you realise what’s happening, the sequence continues with more praises being heaped on this nameless leader. “Tumko pata hai, jab kuch saal pehle Swacchata Abhiyaan ki baat cheddi thi, tab sirf jagruta ki kami ki waja se, yeh abhiyaan thap pad gaya tha. Lekin aaj, ek karmat neta ki wajah se yeh abhiyaan phir se active ho gaya hai (Did you know that a few years back, when the idea of a cleanliness scheme was first hinted at, it fell flat on its face because people were not aware enough. But today—thanks solely to the efforts of one politician—this scheme has once again become active).”

The last praise is one that brings the BJP’s two main trump cards to the forefront: nationalism and its poster boy, Modi. “Bete, aaj ki humari yeh Sarkar poore josh-kharoch se lagi hui hai ki Bharat ki akhandhta aur ekta ko khatra na pohonche. Aaj ek karmat, susheel, gyaani purush ki wajah se hum swacchata ke vatavaran mein saas le rahe hai (Son, the current government is trying with all its might that the fabric of integrity and unity in India is not harmed. Today, because of one hard-working, gentlemanly, and intelligent man, we are able to breathe in a clean environment).”

It is important to note that highlighting government schemes in daily soaps, television shows, stand-up comedy programmes or even feature films isn’t a bad idea. It helps in spreading the word, ensuring that scheme-related information reaches those who need it most. But the question that must be asked is: is it fair to attribute the success of all schemes and initiatives—through cryptic hints and riddles—to just one man and his political party? Given that the government has a budget for communications and promotion, does it really need a leg-up from soaps and serials to increase awareness? Why time it right ahead of general elections when the model code of conduct is in place?

This is not just about one scene from one television show. In fact, during an episode last Thursday, the same show used the Ujjwala Yojana scheme to sing Modi’s praises. The scene takes place between one of the male characters and his wife, where the latter is telling her husband about the ill-effects of burning coal and wood. She also tells him that a scheme has promised to bring LPG cylinders to five lakh Indian households, as well as provide employment to one lakh people. She concludes that nothing is impossible now—all thanks to “that one person who has risen from amongst us”. Well played … umm, plugged?

A Twitter user who goes by the handle @VictimGames pointed out both the above mentioned instances on his timeline on April 6, 2019. This drew a lot of eyeballs and Twitterati’s attention towards something that most people were completely oblivious to, until now. Lucky for us though that @VictimGames is a hardcore Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai fan.

The frequency and intensity of political plugs in TV soaps should also be taken note of, given it is election season. For example, let’s take a look at this other soap called Tujhse Hai Raabta, a show whose story revolves around the bittersweet relationship between a daughter and her stepmother, who are forced to live together after a tragedy strikes in the family. It streams on Zee5. On two consecutive days at the beginning of April—almost in sync with General Elections Phase 1—the show decided to open each day’s episode by highlighting Modi and the BJP’s welfare/development schemes.

Less than two minutes into the serial’s 160th episode that was aired on April 2, 2019, a young bahu is seen excitedly telling her mother-in-law that she has a piece of good news which will make her (mother-in-law) jump with joy. “Mudra Yojana ke hisaab se, aapke chotte business ko badhaava dene ke liye, Bharat sarkar aapko dus lakh ka loan degi (Under the Mudra Yojana scheme, the government of India will give you a loan of up to ₹10 lakh to encourage growth of your small business),” she says. She adds: “Haan, aur desh bhar mein 15 crore se zyaada logon ke yeh loan mila hai (There are already more than 15 crore beneficiaries who have availed this loan).”

She further goes on to say more than 70 per cent of these beneficiaries are women. Now comes the most subtle plug. The mother-in-law says: “Kya yeh sach mein sambhav hai. Paanch saal pehle yeh kisi sapne se kam nahi tha. (Is this really possible? Five years back, this was nothing less than a dream).”

As if right out of a BJP rally, the daughter-in-law says: “Naamumkin ab mumkin hai (impossible is possible now).” Curiously, the episode is no longer available on Zee5’s website, but can still be found on the Internet.

On April 3, 2019, the show telecasted its 161st episode. The opening scene begins with an elderly saas (mother-in-law) explaining to her young bahu the importance of Gudi Padwa—a festival that marks the traditional new year for Maharashtrians and Konkanis.

The duo are seen decorating a Gudi, a doll-like figure, while the mother-in-law asks her bahu: “Tum jaanti ho yeh gudi darvaaze ke bahar kyon lagate hai (Do you know why this figure is hung outside the door)?” Receiving a negative response, the mother-in-law says: “So that peace and prosperity prevail at home.” To which the daughter-in-law says: “Humare acche din shuru ho chuke hai (our good days have started).” Achche Din, of course, was part of the BJP’s 2014 poll campaign.

It is vital to remember that the above-mentioned episodes were aired much after the model code of conduct kicked in for the entire country on March 10. Doesn’t this, in itself, make it a violation of the MCC?

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasma, a show based on a Gujarati household, is another example of plugs in TV soap operas. The show also has a distribution of “Swacchata Senani Awards”. On February 27, 2017, once the episode ends, one of the cast members is seen with residents of Mahindra Eminent Society. He announces that these residents have been given an award because they keep their society neat and clean.

About four days before this, on February 24, the show had a scene with a “Green Army” of youngsters—who compare themselves to soldiers of the Indian Army posted at the border. The youngsters claim that they would put an end to kacchra (garbage), just like soldiers destroy enemies. Only a year prior to this, on July 4, 2016, the star cast of the show had taken a pledge to keep India clean, the video of which can be seen here.

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasma, a household favourite, also left no stone unturned in wooing disgruntled citizens in the aftermath of demonetisation. On November 18, 2016, its episode began with Taarak himself joking about how the government should put a ban on vegetables like cucumbers and bitter gourd just like they’ve banned ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes. But 15 minutes and 45 seconds into the show, Taarak narrates a story of how a baeeman son has managed to deposit ₹2.5 lakh in his mother’s account. This is in reference to Modi’s promise that he would deposit ₹15 lakh in every Indian citizen’s bank account.

An episode which aired on November 21, 2016, shows a Sikh man having a comical argument with his wife when she tries to pay the milkman with demonetised currency. He tells her this is wrong and goes on to educate her by explaining to her that demonetised currency can only be used in emergencies. Yet another episode shows a conversation between four men, where one of them tells the other that his wife had distributed food upon hearing “nakli note waalon ka aur aatankvadiyon ko paise pohchaane waalon ka safaaya ho jayega (fake currency and the people who use this fake currency to supply it to terrorists will be cleaned out).”

Another soap called Hum Saaf Saaf Hain seems to be based on the Swacchat Abhiyaan scheme itself. It describes itself as: “Hero Bhaiyya, as he is lovingly called, is a detective at heart and he works a government job at the cleanliness department. In an amazing stroke of fortune, he is tasked with a mission right up his alley. He is charged with monitoring and reporting on the progress of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in a remote village. But little does he know that this mission will prove to be a tough challenge for his sleuthing skills.”

On February 16, 2019, the episode had a scene where a masterji (teacher) gets into an argument with the village sarpanch because the latter thinks that building a toilet on the ground would attract ghosts. “Sarkar yeh humare bhale ke liye hi toh kar rahi hai (government is doing this for our benefit),” a woman who is seen along masterji explains.

During the February 24 episode, another subtle plug was thrown in. A conversation takes place between two people, and one of them tells the other that people have written in asking how has he managed to construct a toilet. He adds since there are already so many videos put out by the government on this query, he would simply forward this to the people who were inquiring.

The national broadcaster Doordarshan had put out a tweet on December 26, 2018, announcing a new show, Aao Saaf Karein, starring Aruna Irani. The show is about a girl who belongs to Swacchata ka Sena. She stands up to and fights against people who litter. Lastly, Eros Now has a series called Modi: Journey of a Common Man. It traces Modi’s journey since 1975.

However, on April 17, 2019, a day after the Supreme Court told the Election Commission “you don’t look powerless anymore” after the latter banned several political leaders from campaigning over inappropriate comments made by them, Mumbai Mirror reported that the EC told Zee and other channels “to remove the controversial content” that was “giving publicity to the BJP government’s pet schemes through its shows”. The EC also “warned them against doing so in the future.” The shows being referred to are Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai and Tujshe Hai Raabta.

The order issued by the EC says: “The producers of the serial have been told to remove the content that would benefit a political party. Also ensure that this content will not be available on any social or electronic media. If there is any such content which is the nature of advertisment, the producers should take prior certificate from the concerned authorities before airing it on television. The producers should strictly follow the model code of conduct and other rules of the EC.”

Looks like the damage is done—but the EC is offering to help clean up. Glass half full, ladies and gentlemen.

On a different note, it’s not like the Opposition has been silent. They’ve also found a use for soaps and serials. On April 12, 2019, at a time when the news of Union Minister and BJP candidate from Amethi, Smriti Irani, declaring herself as a non-graduate was doing the rounds, Indian National Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi mocked Irani using a parody of Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Yes, that age-old soap which is hailed as the Holy Grail of saas-bahu serials in India.

At a press conference, Chaturvedi said: “Kyunki Mantri Bhi Kabhi Graduate Thi” would soon be released. She even sang a spin-off version of the original soap’s opening theme.

Newslaundry has tried reaching out to some of the writers and production houses of the above-mentioned shows. The copy will be updated once we receive a response.

With inputs from Harsh Shukla, Tiyashi Datta and Pratiksha Thayil.

via GIPHY