The ‘Pawri’ fever seems to have spread beyond the internet, into the real world of politics. After film personalities, sportsmen and netizens from India and Pakistan did their bit to popularize the trend, it found an echo at a rally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Anandpuri, West Bengal. During an election meeting, BJP chief JP Nadda used the meme’s catchphrase to reference the party’s promise of ‘parivartan’ and the video has now gone viral.
The BJP Party chairman addressed the rally ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections and referred to the #PawriHoRahiHai trend in his speech. “Yeh Bengal ki pramodit janta hai, yeh hum sab hai, aur Bengal main parivartan ki tayyari ho rahi hai (These are excited people from Bengal, this is us, and in Bengal, people are preparing for a change), ”Nadda said from the podium. [You can catch the actual reference here from 32:19]
Nadda was caught using the meme-worthy line at the BJP Nabadwip area’s ‘Poriborton Yatra’ culmination rally, which ended in Barrackpore District’s Anandapuri.
While it is unclear whether his political spin on the Pakistani Pakistani girl line was intentional, several users on social media sites were unable to overlook the reference. As many began to share the snippet of the long speech, someone even edited it along with the actual Mobeen video. Soon, it reached BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, who shared it on Twitter and now it’s going viral.
. @JPNadda ‘s #PawriHoRaiHai pic.twitter.com/OdEPV2h3OW
– Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) February 26, 2021
BJP, however, is not the only party that has referenced the trend. Across the political lines, leaders have been using Dananeer Mobeen’s viral lines to show that their social media game is on point.
Previously, Trinamool Congress (TMC) had also used Pawri’s meme to poke fun at his rival BJP. Using the viral meme “Pawri ho rahi hai” to poke fun at the BJP, TMC shared a photo from the party’s public meeting in the state showing empty chairs, with the caption: “Yeh @ BJP4Bengal hai. Yeh unki jansabha hai. Aur yahaan inki pawri ho rahi hai! (This is Bengal BJP. This is their public meeting. And they have a party) “.
Yeh @ BJP4Bengala hai.
Yeh unki jansabha hai.
Aur yahaan inki pawri ho rahi hai!– Trinamool All India Congress (@AITCofficial) February 21, 2021
TMC’s comment came after BJP released a ‘Pishi Jao’ jingle with a twist, to the tune of ‘Bella Ciao’. Using the song popularized by Netflix’s Money Heist series, the BJP did an indirect dig at the Bengal CM headline.
However, Pawri’s references are not limited to the 2021 Bengal elections alone. When the trend for pawri memes started in India after musician Yashraj Mukhate created a parody song for Mobeen’s viral video Aam Aadmi Party (AAP ) had also used it at the time in conjunction with various brands and even police forces.
“Only ‘Pawri’ focuses on education, asking for votes on education,” AAP wrote while joining the meme festival.
For the uninitiated, the girl in the viral video is a well-known Pakistani influencer and content creator Dananeer, also known as Geena. In the original video that remains one of the top trends on social media, the young woman is seen having fun with her friends and is heard saying: Yeh humari car hai, Yeh hum hain, aur yeh humari pawri ho rahi hai (This is our car, this is us and this is our party) ”.
His video went viral, leading to many skits and re-enactments in Pakistan. The Indians also joined the car and gave its lines a quirky twist, using three images to show themselves, their car, and their pawri!
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