Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, and a member of the right-wing Hindu nationalist BJP party, belongs to the Teli caste; a remark by Congress Party's Ghulam Nabi Azad, rephrasing Modi's Prime Ministerial ambitions in the light of the ancient quip "Kahan Raja Bhoj, kahan Gangu Teli" has drawn denunciations of casteism by the BJP.
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In modern times, the Punjabi Maoist (or Naxalite) revolutionary Dalit poet Sant Ram Udasi, and now his daughter, have challenged the accepted Raja Bhoj - Gangu Teli discourse, portray Gangu Teli as an unwilling victim, coerced and brutalized, and portraying Raja Bhoj as a monster, e.g. the Ballad of Gangu Teli.
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Gangu Teli is a historical or apocryphal figure from the era of the Parmara dynasty of central India, a commoner belonging to the Teli (oil-presser) caste.
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The ancient quip gained new currency when it was incorporated into a popular song in the Govinda starred 1998 Hindi Bollywood movie, Dulhe Raja.
Teli | Gangu County |