A day before the ballots open in Bihar, Congress accounts on Twitter shared a video clip where Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan appear to display a series of vain antics before a photograph of his father - the late LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan. The viral video clip being circulated on social media shows Chirag instructing a cameraperson on how to frame him properly in his lens and just being overly concerned about his appearance in the footage.
"Are bhai texture alag hota hai har kisi ke baal ka...," Chirag is heard saying the viral video clip, before asking the cameraperson if he was shooting with a single camera. This loosely translates to: "Everyone has a different texture to their hair."
He was also seen fudging up his lines while remembering the script of a speech that he was supposed to deliver in the front of the camera."
"Azadi ke 75 saal baad bhi Bihar ko pichhda pradesh kaha jaata hai.. And I lost the plot. Let's do this from the beginning," he was seen saying.
Twitter users lost no time in mocking the LJP leader for displaying a superfluous concern about his appearance, hair, and make-up in front of the camera, a day ahead of the crucial assembly polls that tests his fealty. Presumably, some users also took offence at Chirag showing such exorbitant concern about his appearance just beside a photograph of his late father.
Some users even drew a parallel to another leader who reportedly puts enormous care into carefully constructing his pose in photographs as well — Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Check out some of the reactions here:
Meanwhile, some expressed concern about the video getting leaked and even condemned the 'uncut video' being shared without context. Some have even called the video 'edited', while acknowledging that every public personality rehearses their lines and is careful of their appearence.
However, this assumed a political context when even the BJP and the JD(U) said that it shows "lack of emotion".
Chirag being overly concerned about his appearance shouldn't come as a surprise, really. Before embarking on a full-time political career, the LJP leader was into acting, even having starred opposite Kangana Ranaut in a 2011 Hindi movie. Now, the vanity of actors and politicians alike is as much a universal truth as is the Earth's revolution around the Sun, so regardless of whether the video was edited or not, there's purportedly not much point in duelling on that.
For his part though, Chirag, who has been issuing statements over the past couple of days trying to create a divide between the BJP and the JD(U), hit back at his critics. He said, "I don't know with what motive the clip is being spread. Do I need to prove that I'm sad on my father's death? Didn't expect CM to do such low-level politics. He's scared he'll go to jail in my government."
