By Mohit Dubey
Lucknow, (IANS) : Colours have their own charm and significance. In politics, especially in Uttar Pradesh, they enjoy a super special status for home bred netas. On Saturday, the saffron surge was visible all over at the venue of the manifesto release function of the BJP here.
At the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, adjacent to the sprawling building housing the High Court in posh Gomtinagar, everything was a bright saffron. From the napkins with the cutlery serving food to hacks, to the manifesto colour, to the tent, the silk draping of the towering pillars of the building, to colours of flowers, sofa covers, durries, the bouquets given to senior leaders like BJP national president Amit Shah, saffron pervaded.
Leading the band of ‘brand saffron’, the colour of the party, was none other than Amit Shah, who wore an orange sadri. Also wearing the colour were state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, in an orange waist-coat, as well as new entrant from BSP and now the party’s Lucknow Central candidate, Brajesh Pathak, who sported a big saffron ‘patka’.
Rumoured to be seeing red at being ignored by the party leadership in selection of candidates and not being projected as the party’s presumptive chief ministerial candidate, Gorakhpur MP Mahant Adityanath was in bright orange, from tip to toe. From socks to the dhoti, kurta and the warm shawl, the Mahant of the Gorakhnath Peeth drew attention for his clothing.
Dinesh Sharma, national vice-president of the BJP, and Lucknow Mayor Dinesh Sharma, who many predict could be the Chief Minister if BJP is voted to power, wore light orange cut jackets. The only exceptions in the bright orange party theme appeared to be Union Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, nursing an arm fracture, was seen wearing a fawn kurta, while Union Minister Kalraj Mishra was attired in a dark brown waist-coat and Om Mathur, wearing a rust coloured ensemble.
Swamy Prasad Maurya, who recently switched sides from the BSP to the BJP, wore pastels and so did Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal. Sitting in the front row, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, union MoS for Information and Broadcasting, also settled for a dapper check coat and a matching trouser.
The love for colour and its display in public life though is not new to the state. It is a state where every thing turns into a blue hue when the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) comes to power, and red and green when the cycle (Samajwadi Party) pedals to power.
Every place possible – websites, publicity material, government hoardings, advertisements, even railings on the roadside are changed along with the colour of walls in some government offices, and photo frames, to sooth the party coming in power in Uttar Pradesh.