On April 2, a Twitter user shared a clip of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vineet Sharda chanting “Kamal” (Hindi for lotus) multiple times during an election rally. Lotus is the election symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Aapko sochna hoga, ki kamal chahiye ya kya chahiye (You will have to think if you want Lotus – Bharatiya Janata Party – or some other party),” Sharda said, before beginning his rap-like chant of the word. His antics made him instantly popular on the internet, inspiring numerous memes.
Vineet Sharda was campaigning for Rajendra Agrawal, the Lok Sabha member from Meerut constituency. Agrawal is contesting for a third term in the Parliament.
The video proved to be an immediate hit, with Twitter users getting to work on jokes. One of the users went down a darker path, adding Sharda’s vocals to a black-and-white video of German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
A Twitter user converted Sharda’s “kamal” chant into a rap battle with rapper Eminem.
Another user dubbed the speech to a video of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
One user wondered if this was a reference to the Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan, who plays ten roles in the film Dasavathaaram.
There were others who decided to provide a twist, by adding a different soundtrack to the video.
Even former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had an opinion on the viral speech.
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