A campaign of venom and vilification

The high-pitched BJP narrative of demonising Muslims everywhere is now countered with the spectre of 'saffron terror'

“Vote kisiko bhi do, kisi tarah wapas to Modi hi aayega”—“We can vote for anyone we like but Modi will somehow manage to come back”. This pearl of wisdom, dropped with a sigh of resignation, was delivered by Raees, the neighbourhood raddiwallah who comes from a village near Aligarh and who voted on April 18. For decades Raees and his family have been collecting the detritus of households — old newspapers, empty bottles, other discarded junk — in the locality and have prospered. From plying their trade on bicycles and pushcarts they have progressed to motorbikes and announce their availability