The massive crowd is perfectly still, rapt in attention. Bhagwant Mann, Aam Aadmi Party’s Member of Parliament from Sangrur, is on stage. He is AAP’s most heavyweight campaigner for the Punjab assembly election, due on February 4. His ‘kikli’, or ditties, are a massive hit at rallies. When Mann sings, people in the audience turn on their mobile phone torches, making scores of pale lights glow in the twilight.
Those gathered for Mann in this Jalalabad rally have heard his kikli before. So many times, in fact, that they remember it. “Kikli? (This song?)” Mann booms into his microphone and the audience shouts back, “Kalir di (It’s about a girl).” “Gaap? (Lies?)” Mann croons and the crowd responds, “Sukhbir di (They come from Sukhbir Badal).” “Smack?” he asks and they respond: “Order it from the border.”
The audience grasps Mann’s message, which is about holding Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikramjit Majithia responsible for...
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