As tomatoes become unaffordable for ordinary citizens of India due to spiralling costs of essential commodities, traditional supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been seen putting up a brave defence for the BJP government. While some have rejected the claims of high inflation under Modi, others have audaciously advised India’s middle-class to sell their assets to buy tomatoes. The most notorious amongst them are India’s affluent class, living in high-rises and posh colonies in Noida, a city adjacent to the Indian national capital, Delhi. Now the same group of rich people from upmarket housing societies are facing public ridicule after they were seen queuing for cheap tomatoes outside their residential complexes.
Mockingly dubbed as Noida’s ‘WhatsApp University uncles and aunties,’ netizens are calling them out for their hypocrisy in the midst of high inflation.
User Ankit Maynak shared a photo of people lining up near a truck and wrote on Twitter, “Meet Noida society uncles & aunties, the biggest peddlers of WA University propaganda. Yesterday they were sharing WA forwards about how Vishwaguru PM Modi stopped the Ukraine-Russia war for 3 days. Last week they were fighting in the society WA group claiming there is no ‘Mehengai’, it’s just people have become lazy. But today all of them are lining up to buy tomatoes at ₹70 per kg. They are the biggest hypocrites. Don’t be like them.”
Another user, Armaan, used the same photo to write, “WA university uncles and aunties who keep forwarding fake posts. Have queued up to buy subsidised tomatoes. Desh ke liye Itna to seh hi sakte. Aur karo Namo Namo.”
User Manish RJ also shared the identical photo as he wrote, “Upper class Bhakts from Noida queuing up for cheaper tomatoes…Later these same people will say that even if tomatoes costs ₹1000/- hum Modiji ko he vote denge….Aayega toh ch@t!ya hi.”
Twitter user Mahua Moitra Fans wrote, “These upper middle class residents from a gated community in Noida, UttarPradesh are queuing up to buy CHEAP TOMATOES 🍅.They are the same people who says during elections- “𝟓𝟎𝟎/- 𝐤𝐚 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐢 𝐣𝐢 𝐤𝐨 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞”. Lekin saste tamatar dekhte hi line mein khade ho gaye. 😅😂 #Hypocrisy another level.”
Tomatoes are being sold between Rs. 160 per kd and Rs. 220 per kg in parts of India. Some state governments have made arrangements for tomatoes to be sold at a subsidised rate. It’s in this context that netizens are highlighting the hypocrisy of Noida’s affluent residents, who often act as andh bhakts of Modi and reject any suggestions of poor governance under him. They are the same group of people, who mock middle-class and poor people for availing government subsidy but move with a lightning speed to buy cheap tomatoes when they themselves find it hard to buy expensive food items due to high inflation.