Thank you Bade Sahaab. Congress launches sarcastic campaign on Modi’s unfulfilled promises
Indiatoday
Ahmedabad, November 3, 2017
The campaign, consisting a series of memes, shows an impoverished couple and a child thanking Modi for his unfulfilled promises.. A look at how the Congress Party is organising its Gujarat election campaign to counter Namo's juggernaut, especially the unfulfilled electoral promises he made in 2014. Isaac Gomes, Asso. Editor, Church Citizens' Voice.
Photo: Source Indiatoday 3 November 2017
A few days after the BJP launched an offensive social media video taking to task Modi's critics, rather than defending the 'Vikas Gando Thayo Chhe' campaign, the Gujarat Congress has struck back with a 'Thank You Mota Saheb (Bade Sahaab)' campaign.
This campaign, consisting a series of memes, shows an impoverished couple and a child thanking Modi for his unfulfilled promises.
The promises mentioned in the memes are that of depositing Rs 15 lakh in poor people's account by bringing back black money stashed abroad; sending mangoes to Pakistan premier, the country who beheaded Indian soldiers; for making a Standard V-pass person the education minister (Bhupendrasinh Chudasama) who has ruined the life of several students.
The last one says 'Thank You' for suddenly introducing policies and half-baked laws like GST and demonetization, which are 'Tughlaqi' in nature. Congress's IT Cell chairman Rohan Gupta said they have released about five such memes as of now, but another 20 have been lined up, which will gradually surface over the next three to four days.
"We released these memes on WhatsApp earlier today. The response is phenomenal. In fact, people are adding their own original lines, ending it with Thank You Bade Sahaab. We are picking those up and making memes and circulating them again," Gupta said.
A few days ago, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had termed GST as Gabbar Singh Tax. The Congress had picked it up and started a social media war over Sholay characters. This had caught the imagination of people and BJP responded with its own set of memes and videos. Soon after, videos defending BJP's Hu Vikas Chhu (I am Vikas) as poll agenda got into circulation.
Earlier this week, a 3.55 minute video starring Gujarati actor Jimit Trivedi, that takes the offensive tone in defending Modi's Vikas agenda, has also caught on in the virtual space.
Taking the same tone, this new campaign by Congress attempts to draw attention by sarcasm. It is important to note that one of the slides makes a reference to the Tughlaq dynasty, terming the GST and demonetisation as 'Tughlaqui'.
Photo: Source Indiatoday 3 November 2017
Tughlaq dynasty, that ruled over India in the medieval ages, was of Turkish-Indo origin. Their time today is reminiscent of harsh policies and cruelties. '
Tughlaqui' has become an adjective of sorts for arbitrary and harsh practices by the rulers. BJP spokesperson and former minister in Modi's state cabinet Jaynarayan Vyas shrugged it off.
"This is nothing but consolidated version of baseless statements they've been making on and off," he said.
