GURUGRAM: Perched on a 60 x 30 feet podium in the monstrous Tau Devi Lal stadium, as a strapping 6-feet, Youtube sensation Elvish Yadav – the Haryanvi local who grabbed the Big Boss OTT title last week – took to microphone, a deafening silence ruptured the National Capital Region. The applause was audible nearly 50 kms away, similar to his sensational and grand acclaim he got as a wild card entry into the second Internet edition of reality show, as this correspondent negotiated her way to find a place in the bustling media gallery amid 3-lakh onlookers.
As Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, clad in his white kurta and signature sports shoes, rushed on to the stadium to felicitate Yadav, he couldn’t stop gushing his adulation.
“Elvish Yadav ko Rao saab kehte hai. Bhai, is Rao saab ko mai badhai deta hoo. Haryana mai pratibha bahut hai. Elvish jaisa talent kabhi kabhi milta hai, Elvish ki jo pratibha hai, hum isko aage badayenge. Jo kuch karna hoga karege,” Khattar remarked.
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His comments spoke of grammar, with a latent tone of a political message for the 16 % Yadavs that sum up Haryana’s sizeable vote bank, much needed as a boost for the party that has struggled to woo the strong Jat community in the wake of recent wrestlers’ protest. Khattar’s comments promptly drew thunderous applause as Elvish took turns to touch Khattar’s feet twice while his parents gifted the chief minister a Ganesha idol.
The message was clear that Elvish, who has stood for the right-wing outfits, routinely spoken against the desecration of temples or restoration of shrines and also held strong views on atrocities against lovelorn girls – target of lure by radical Islamists and Maulanas – must be given a hero’s welcome.With each applause, Elvish’s mother Sushma Yadav, a demure homemaker, first looked in disbelief that the Youtube daredevilry has reaped rich dividends for her 24-year-old ‘unemployed’ son.As crowds lifted their mobiles, turned flashlights, to take a fleeting glimpse of the freakish hero, Elvish’s mother looked more self-assured of her son’s feat.
“Today, it’s not Elvish alone who is my kid. All of you are my children,” said Yadav.
The extravaganza soon turned into a show of strength for Elvish, with similar raucous and intrepid influencers bringing up the cauldron of right-wing emotions — Paradox, Harsh Beniwal and Sunny Yadav, all of whom are Haryana boys that during and post-Covid raised stocks of a growing influencers’ market. Earlier, Khattar also promised to hold another event to bring together similar talents.
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“Ek programme desh programme mai chal raha hai — India Got Talent . Ane wale 1 November Haryana Diwas par hum aisa hi event karenge,” Khattar said.
After winning Bigg Boss, Elvish has gained support from many politicians like Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tej Pratap yadav, Tajinder Baggga and Smriti Irani. With 13.4 million followers, this Instgrammer has also kicked controversies by routinely roasting celebrities like Salman Khan by fanning religious sentiments or invoking boycott calls against their films.In on of Weekend ka War, Salman brutally slammed Elvish for using foul language against one of the contest and also mocked his fan army, after which salman faced backlash and lost million followers.