The Samajwadi Party worker plays the song on loudspeakers on his terrace to make people aware.
Amid cantankerous campaigns to stop azaan (Islamic call to prayer) playing over loudspeakers, a Samajwadi Party worker in Uttar Pradesh has decided to employ the megaphone to spotlight the runaway inflation and high prices through a popular Bollywood song. The move has got the nod of his boss Akhilesh Yadav.
"Will play the loudspeaker on 'socialist' issues... will raise voice against inflation, unemployment, crime!" Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted along with the video.
In the video, Ravikant Vishwakarma, a Samajwadi party worker in Varanasi, can be seen listing the grave issues before the country.
"Today the prime issue in the country is inflation, unemployment, education, health and security. Azaan and aarti playing on loudspeakers are not the issue. By bringing in loudspeakers, some people are trying to shift focus away from main issues," Mr Vishwakarma is heard saying in the video.
"Till the time we Samajwadis are there, we will corner them on the main issues. In this respect, I have placed these loudspeakers on my terrace and will play that mehangai (inflation) song and spread awareness in my area," he signs off the video with the song booming from the loudspeakers.
The song is "Mehangai Dayan khai jaat hai" from 2010 movie "Peepli Live".
India's retail inflation for March 2022 rose to a 17-month high of 6.95 per cent from 6.07 per cent in February 2022 mainly due to rising food and oil prices. Food inflation for March rose sharply to 7.68 per cent, while it was 5.85 per cent in February 2022.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been mandated by government to keep the retail inflation between 2 per cent to 6 per cent .
Earlier this week, RSS-linked student group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, or ABVP, started a campaign to stop the azaan playing over loudspeakers in Aligarh and sought permission to play the 'Hanuman Chalisa' (prayer for Hindu God Hanuman) by installing loudspeakers at 21 prominent intersections.
The Azaan vs Hanuman Chalisa controversy has been fanned by various right-wing groups recently. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, aiming at the ruling Shiv Sena-led state government, had earlier this month demanded that loudspeakers at mosques be shut down and said if this is not stopped, "there will be speakers outside mosques playing 'Hanuman Chalisa' at higher volume".