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Journalism of Courage
Ahead of the first phase of elections on April 19, political parties are fighting it out – both in real and reel spaces. Each move the political leaders make finds an echo on social media as well. In this weekly roundup, we take a look at what’s been trending through the week on social media to capture the mood of the nation during this election season.
Former Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh was a familiar face on television debates for the Grand Old Party — a leader, who, in fact, shot to fame following a debate against BJP’s Sambit Patra. So, when Vallabh switched over to the BJP last week, the social media was quick to remind him of his earlier statements regarding the saffron party.
Most accounts were seen sharing his famous TV duel with BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra in 2019, during which he asked the latter whether he knew the number of zeros in a trillion, amid assertions by Patra that India would become a $5 trillion economy by 2024.
His interview with the BBC ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls was also doing the rounds. Here, Vallabh can be seen stating that he can never think of joining the BJP as his “ideology completely differs from them”. When he was asked whether he ever sees himself as a part of the BJP, he had said: “100 per cent no. I am saying this on camera. However, if you’re asking me to take an oath or swear or anything… let me clarify that ideologically, four principles are paramount to me — liberal views, intellectuality, a free and open working environment and inclusivity.”
Last week, sportsperson-turned-politician Vijender Singh was reposting a video shared by Rahul Gandhi targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and barely two days later, he quit the Congress to join the BJP. The move, just days ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, was also a surprise as Vijender has been consistently critical of the Modi government on important issues, from farmer protests to the wrestlers’ agitation.
Moreover, in an interview, when asked about his sudden change in stance, the Olympic medallist said: “After sharing the video, I had slept and then when I woke up, I realised that I was on the wrong platform and the BJP would be showing me the right path to walk on.”
Kangana Ranaut, the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh, started her political journey recently, and grabbed the headlines too. Kangana found herself in the middle of yet another controversy over her comment that Subhas Chandra Bose, not Jawaharlal Nehru, was the first prime minister of India.
Speaking at a media summit recently, Kangana said that the country’s first Prime Minister, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, was nowhere to be seen after India’s independence. After facing backlash on social media, Kangana doubled down, citing the provisional government setup by Bose in 1943 as evidence of her claim.
However, the explanation didn’t hold too much ground with politicians, historians and even Netaji’s grandson rebuking her for the statements. “No one should distort history for their political ambition,” Chandra Kumar Bose wrote on X.
With the BJP and TMC locked in a fierce battle in West Bengal, the two parties have been using cartoons and memes to target each other on social networking platforms.
Recently, the TMC shared a cartoon on its official X handle where party supremo Mamata Banerjee is seen protecting West Bengal by holding the map of the state from the natural disaster which occurred in Jalpaiguri district a few days ago. “Bengal can sleep because she’s always awake!” TMC said in the post with the cartoon.
In a counter to the TMC’s post, the BJP used the same cartoon of Banerjee but replaced the Bengal map with the image of an infant having the face of arrested TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and wrote on X, “Mamata Banerjee, the unyielding shield of Shahjahan’s tyranny.”
The meme war did not end as the BJP continued to hit out at TMC over a cartoon showing the CM kicking a ladder on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders are seen climbing.
The ruling party shared the cartoon on X with the caption, “Bengal’s gates are fortified, and Smt. @MamataOfficial stands guard! The bohiragoto BJP jomidars who are trying to crawl their way in, will find themselves tumbling head over heels.”
Targeting the TMC over the cartoon, BJP IT cell in-charge and the party’s co-incharge in West Bengal Amit Malviya wrote on X: “Mamata Banerjee, the sitting CM of Bengal, is shown kicking the Prime Minister of India. This is a direct threat to harm the life and kill the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and BJP Bengal leaders.”
