By Rajeev Khanna
Ahmedabad(IANS) : Gujarat’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress are locked in an ad war as they woo a divided electorate ahead of this month’s do-or-die assembly elections.
With the poll fever rising, the campaign of the two main parties is turning aggressive. Until now the campaign has primarily centred round Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP has bombarded the local papers and television channels with advertisements that glorify Modi, in an apparent attempt to create a halo around the firebrand.
All the advertisements project Modi as a progressive man who has worked relentlessly for the development of the state over the last six years since he took office.
The Congress has unleashed a counter media campaign promising a better Gujarat — if voted to power.
Its advertisements portray pictures of a developed Gujarat with modern amenities. In addition, the party has launched an aggressive campaign to counter the claims made by the BJP.
But nothing can beat the Modi hype.
One advertisement quotes the chief minister as saying in Gujarati: “Neither do I take bribes nor do I allow others to take bribes.”
Modi is shown on television channels claiming: “I was pained at the water scarcity faced by the people of my state. I was determined to put an end to it. Hence I embarked on the goal of making Gujarat free of water tankers. I have been able to make several thousand villages tanker free.”
He goes on to say that those running the tanker trade are obviously not happy. But he is willing to face their wrath.
The Congress is not willing to spare Modi. It asks in an advertisement: “If he doesn’t take bribes, then who are the ones who get the gratifications in the state run by the BJP?”
The Congress says people know how honest the BJP is, reminding voters that it is the same party whose former national president was caught on tape taking money.
And the Congress asks: “If the government is so honest, what has prevented it from appointing a Lokayukta?”