‘Gurugram wishes smooth elections in West Bengal’: Viral meme sparks outrage on social media; here’s why

A meme about West Bengal elections has gone viral on social media. The post has sparked reactions from all corners.

"Gurugram wishes smooth elections in West Bengal," says the innocent-looking post. Then comes the second line, "We want our maids back safe and soon."

A variation of the posts says, “Gurugram/Pune/Hyderabad/Bengaluru wishes smooth and bloodless election in West Bengal (2nd Phase). We want our maids/workers back safe and soon!”

Strong reactions are pouring in. While some users consider it dark humour, others are offended and agitated.

“It’s a harsh truth now. West Bengal became the supplier of waiters, maids, labourers, and gig workers to Noida, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Surat, from the land of Nobel laureates, economists, philosophers, and scientists. Ask the IITians why the state failed,” posted one user.

“Indian Geopolitics: Elections in West Bengal mean there are NO Maids available in Gurugram. Senior Citizens suffering and how,” commented another user.

Mahesh Jethmalani, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, shared one such post and wrote: “It is a civilisational tragedy that the land of Vivekananda, Netaji and Tagore is today seen in large parts of India merely as a source of household help.”

“Bengal was broken over decades; first by ideological vandalism under the Left, and then by patronage, intimidation and managed decline under Trinamool,” he added.

“My Bengali maid told me sometime in November last year that she would be going on leave to cast her vote. She and many of her friends left for Bengal to cast their vote. She said Bengal needs a change & that is the resolve with which almost all of them have gone to exercise their franchise,” came another remark.

Another user wrote, “Being a Bengali & resident of WB, I admit it's true. The poor & unskilled masses looking for honest ways of earning are left with only this option.”

Note: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. LiveMint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

Different perspective

Some users, however, believed such posts are “convenient elitism”.

“What about people of BIHAR, whom the BJP ruled for 20 years, and they are forced to leave the state to get labour jobs in other states!! First transform BIHAR, then talk…” wrote one of them.

“I wish you had given the same gyan for our citizens in Manipur instead of Bengal,” came from another.

Many users claimed that former Chief Election Commissioner of India Dr SY Quraishi had shared the meme first. However, the post was not found on his profile.

“Dr SY Quraishi, why did you delete your RT about house maids from WB?” asked one user.

“I don't blame Dr Quraishi, actually. It was probably an impulsive post, already taken down. On the contrary, I felt proud of those underprivileged Bengali "maids" who are actually the biggest contributors to the comforts of Delhi-Gurugram socialites’ homes. Same like Bihari labourers,” posted another user.

Disclosure: Social media posts have been lightly edited for grammar, clarity and readability while preserving the original context.