'BJP anthem for 2014 Lok Sabha elections plagiarized'

AHMEDABAD: Is the BJP's anthem for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections plagiarized? "Sougandh mujhe is mitti ki, mein desh nahin mitne doonga", which was uploaded on YouTube on March 25 and has garnered 3.03 lakh hits till date, is at least 'inspired' by a song written by a Gujarati youth, Kuldeepsinh Jadeja.

Jadeja is upset that the credits name only adman Prasoon Joshi as lyricist, while the song has been sung by Sukhwinder and recited by Modi in the video. An Anand-based executive, Jadeja, 26, told TOI that the song was clearly inspired by the 24-line poem he had sent to BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in January this year.

There are minor changes after the common opening "Sougandh mujhe is mitti ki..." If Jadeja wrote "...nahin jhukne doonga" and "nahin bikne doonga", Joshi's song says "...nahin mitne doonga". Further, Joshi's line "Meri dharti mujhse pooch rahi, kab mera karz chukaoge," is only fine-tuning of Jadeja's line , 'Ye dharti mujhse pooch rahi kab karz tu chukayega.'

Modi acknowledged Jadeja's contribution at an election meeting organized in Ahmedabad in early March and had even recited a few lines during the meeting. Modi even sent a personal letter of appreciation and thanked Jadeja for the poem, a copy of which is with TOI.

"I did this for Modiji and just wished that my name be acknowledged somewhere in the video," says Jadeja who says he wrote the poem in December 2013 after a friend encouraged him to write something for Modi.

Joshi was not available for comment despite repeated attempts.