POLITICS

Congress, BJP engage in video war over beef in poll-bound Karnataka

Meat ban The duel between both parties is seen as a bid to conquer social media space and maintain their dominance over it in the run-up to the polls early this year | Reuters

Ruling Congress and opposition BJP in poll bound Karnataka have unleashed an all out beef focused social media war with both parties posting a series of videos mocking each other.

In the latest video, Congress has poured scorn on BJP, calling it "Beef Janata Party" and poked fun at its "hypocrisy" on the beef ban issue after the saffron party came out with a 'recipe' for "Siddu beef biryani".

The online video duel with dripping sarcasm began with Congress posting a tweet titled 'recipe for a BJP star campaigner,' targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

This came soon after the Twitter war between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Adityanath, mocking each other on the development agenda during the latter's campaign in Karnataka, that has gone viral on the internet.

The video with a caricature of UP CM in a hot pan titling "recipe for a BJP star campaigner" included ingredients like criminal records, saffron dye, crocodile tears, homophobia, misogyny, zero attention to development, simmer on communal flame and bringing to a boil, garnish with ignorance, and serve with hate in Karnataka.

As the Congress' video jibe at BJP and Adityanathwent viral, BJP hit back with a video attacking Siddaramaiah led government of being "anti-Hindu."

The video titled "Gundu Rao Military Hotel" with caricatures of Siddaramaiah, party working President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Social Media in-charge Ramya said the recipe for "Siddu beef biryani" include stolen rice from 'Anna Bagya' scheme, cow meat from illegal slaughter house and Hindu blood (citing alleged murders of Hindu activists), among others.

Commenting on the video, a young BJP leader had said"we chose to give them (Congress) a taste of their ownmedicine."

The saffron party recently also tweeted a video, alleging that Karnataka under Siddaramaiah has become akilling yard for farmers and the state has recorded thehighest number of farmer deaths.

The video that begins with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking about the uplift of farmers and the agrarian sector, highlighted farmer suicides under the Congress regime in Karnataka, citing various newspaper articles.

It also accused state government of not implementing Central government schemes like 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojna' and questions whether they did so as the scheme was froma Prime Minister who belonged to BJP.

Responding to BJP's attack,Congress fired a fresh salvo on Saturday tweeting a video in which it called BJP 'Beef Janata Party' and accused it of "hypocrisy" on the beef ban issue.

"Parrikar wants to import it, Yogi wants to export it, Rijiju wants to eat it, Som wants to sell it. Do not mix Beef and Business. Mixing Beef and Politics, a definite YES! Enoughof your hypocrisy @BJP4India," the tweet along with the videoshowcasing reported comments by various BJP leaders on theissue, said.

The duel between both parties is seen as a bid to conquer social media space and maintain their dominance over it in the run-up to the polls early this year.

According to sources,the video battle between both parties is set to intensify in the days to come,withdedicated digital communications teams being set up for thepurpose.

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