Mangaluru, Nov 16: A fresh battle of hoardings between proponents of two different ideologies has triggered curiosity among the residents and travellers in the port city of Mangaluru.
While a hoarding put up by a Congress leader in the heart of the city indirectly reminds the people that it was a Hindutva hardliner who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, another hoarding set up by a Sangh Parivar activist as a retort likens the ideals of the father of the nation to those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi!
“After Killing Him They Use Him as a Mascot Now!” says the hoarding put up on November 11 near Balmatta by AICC member and activist P V Mohan. The statement in fact indirectly referred to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent attempt to hijack Gandhi's inheritance from the Congress party through Swachh Bharat' Abhiyan.
The hoarding directly criticizes BJP for “trivializing and belittling” the father of the nation by using Gandhi as “an advertising symbol” for cleaning.
The hoarding also attempts to convince that there are no similarities between Gandhi and Modi by stating that Mahatma was a political philosopher, freedom fighter, non-violent protagonist, religious harmonist, minorities' friend, Dalits' benefactor, women's emancipator and an advocate of peace.
On the other hand the hoarding set up by Citizen's Council convenor Naresh Shenoy, who is also the convenor of NaMo Brigade, which pledges allegiance to the BJP, likens the fundamentals and dreams of Gandhi to those of Modi.
Interestingly, the hoarding introduces Gandhi as the one who fought for the protection of cows and opposed “appeasement.”
This hoarding accuses Congress of misusing Gandhi's name and argues that Modi will fulfill Gandhi's dreams. “Dissolution of Congress” was Gandhi's dream; “Congress-free India” is Modi's dream, it says. If you are a Gandhian, then follow the path Modi says the concluding line of the hoarding.
Comments
Add new comment