[Satire] Plate of Momos Sparks Intense Political Storm in Bengal

Kolkata. In a rather curious turn of events, a seemingly innocuous social media post featuring a plate of homemade dumplings has stirred up a massive political commotion here in the last few days.

The state is midway through the 2021 legislative assembly elections and is currently highly politically charged, with the top TMC and BJP brass regularly exchanging barbs. However, little did anybody expect an innocent food photograph to be dragged right into the middle of this political strife!

In recent days, the aggressive and high-pitched election campaigns and their incessant coverage on TV and social media has given rise to a new variant of party-society in Bengal. One in which every action and every spoken word is being construed, misconstrued, and even distorted at times in an effort to paint an individual with a certain colour of brush. Unfortunately, the photograph in question and its creator could not quite escape this vicious zone!

It all started on 15th April when a Facebook user posted a photo of a plate of homemade dumplings, also called Momos, while wishing his friends Shubho Noboborsho (Bengali New Year)!

Within minutes the post went viral as several people started commenting on the propriety, or the lack of it, of posting a photo of an apparently non-Bengali dish on the auspicious first day of the Bengali calendar. While some comments mentioned names of alternate Bengali dishes that could have been posted instead, the more loyal TMC fanboys took to sloganeering, borrowing slogans from Mamata Banerjee’s now-famous CAA protest rally held last year.

However, the matter had stayed within the bounds of social media and had not become a political hot potato till the time Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP and their chief national spokesperson Derek O’Brien tweeted about the viral Facebook post.

Clarifying his tweet, O’Brien later said, “This is nothing but a MoSha conspiracy to fuel unrest in the state! They don’t know the Bengali culture and hence posts like these! Tell me why would you not have a Kobiraji or the classic Bengali Fish Batter Fry on Noboborsho? Or if you prefer vegetarian, a Mochar Chop or simple Jhuri Jhuri Aloo Bhaja? But all these won’t work, you know. Because Mamata Didi will give them a fitting reply come the 2nd of May.”

He later took out a minute to explain that “MoSha” referred to the Modi-Shah combine, and not mosquitoes as many Bengalis were beginning to believe!

The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to enter the political battlefield as well. Home Minister Amit Shah, during an election rally in Siliguri today said, “Mamata Didi ko problem Momo se nahi hai! Her problem is with people who make momos in our country, mostly Gorkhas and Nepalis! Nepal, till a few years ago was the only Hindu country on earth! Didi’s anger is towards Hindus, not Momos!”

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, known for speaking his mind and no stranger to political controversies, echoed Shah’s sentiments when he said, “I don’t understand their politics! We are all Indians first. Are you telling me that the Nepali brothers living in North Bengal are not part of us? Their food is not our food? Also, I can tell you for a fact that momo, when had with a gomutra dip, can cure several diseases in humans, including corona!”

However, he then seemed to have his knowledge of Rabindrasangeet all messed up as he commented, “Even Gurudev Tagore wrote songs on Momo. Momo Chitte Niti Nritye, was he also wrong? What is their problem?”

Shah also declared that the BJP, if voted to power, will ensure that the Darjeeling momo gets its own GI (Geographical Indicator) tag.

Sensing that the momo-controversy could well have an adverse effect in the elections, the TMC today attempted to douse the raging fire. In a hastily arranged press conference, TMC Rajya Sabha MP and President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr. Santanu Sen said, “We are not against anybody or any food! The only concern we have about momos is that it is not healthy food. Young people eat momos only because others are eating it and from a sense of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Otherwise, momos are one of the primary causes of obesity among youth in our state!”

Dr. Sen went on to say that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, being the visionary that she is, had in fact written a poem on this exact topic in her recent book Kobitabitan. An excerpt from the poem was then handed over to all the attending press personnel.

করছিস কি? করছি নমো । খাচ্ছিস কি? খাচ্ছি মোমো । ওজন কতো? প্লিজ থামো । খাস কেন তবে? ফোমো ফোমো ।

Matters, however, took a massively controversial turn earlier today when union minister and BJP’s Tollygunge candidate Babul Supriyo tweeted about the issue. Setting out to write about his love for momos, he instead ended up writing the name of a TMC MP, apparently as a result of a typo. While he did later send out another tweet correcting his previous message, the damage had already been done.

Reports from Siliguri, where actress-turned-TMC-MP Mimi Chakraborty hails from and is currently stationed, suggest that she is contemplating legal action against Babul.

Conspicuous by their absence in this entire debate till now have been the Left parties and the Congress. When contacted, young CPI(M) leader Shatarup Ghosh said, “The working class of Bengal doesn’t consume such food. When they come home after a difficult day out in the fields, all they need is a plate of rice. So, we consider Momos as bourgeoise food, and it is only apt that the TMC and the BJP, two parties with inordinate amounts of illegal money, are talking about it.”

However, reports coming out of the CPI(M) headquarters at Alimuddin Street in Kolkata suggest that the party is indeed looking to gain political mileage from this issue. In line with their 2021 campaign strategy of parodying popular songs, the young comrades are said to be preparing a song titled “Baba Aami ki Momo Khaabo Naa”.

In this cacophony and deluge of political gibberish, the one voice that has been completely subverted and drowned out has been that of Tushar Kanti Dutta, the creator of the Facebook post being debated so widely. Despite multiple attempts, MakNuggets could not get in touch with Mr. Dutta, his phone and Facebook chat messages going unanswered.

However, Tushar’s father Pijush Kanti Dutta spoke with us and said, “I am absolutely shocked to see what is happening in the state. Is there nothing apolitical anymore? And just for the records, my son Tushar has never ever voted here! He’s been living in the Netherlands for the past decade, is a citizen there now and couldn’t really care less about who’s coming to power here in the state!”

When asked if Tushar, being a Bengali and despite his foreign passport, had a political colour of choice, Dutta Senior said, “The Netherlands tricolour has Red, White & Blue. And they famously wear their Orange jerseys in all sporting competitions. I think that pretty much covers the entire palette of political colours in this state today, doesn’t it?”