Kejriwal turns Modi brand of politics on its head

Upadravi gotra’ in a BJP ad becomes caste slur for AAP

GN Bureau | February 2, 2015




Political madness is at its peak in Delhi, with barely four days to go for the assembly election. 

Narendra Tandon, the main in-charge of the BJP’s election campaign, resigned from the party on February 2, complaining that Kiran Bedi’s staff mistreated him; the BJP took out another advertisement in Delhi newspapers on Monday, calling AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal one of ‘Upadravi Gotra’; and the Delhi high court issued notices to the election commission and Kejriwal over a plea filed by Congress leader Kiran Walia.

The BJP advertisement portraying Kejriwal’s caricature threatening to disrupt the Republic Day function in Delhi called Kejriwal and AAP leaders ‘anarchists’, but the AAP called it ‘casteist’ and alleged that the BJP had insulted the entire Agrawal community.

“BJP’s fight is with me, how can it drag the Agarwal community,” Kejriwal tweeted on Monday morning.

"The BJP first targeted my children in their advertisements, but I kept quiet, didn't react.... They have been launching personal attacks on me through their ads, but today they have called the entire Agarwal Samaj as 'Upadravi',” Kejriwal tweeted.

 

The BJP, on the other hand, blamed Kejriwal for giving a ‘caste angle’ to the metaphor used in the ad. It also said that the matter would be brought before the Election Commission.

“AAP is trying to misconstrue a metaphor used in the political context. The world ‘gotra’ was not intended to mean caste, but to describe the ‘disruptive politics of AAP’,” the NDTV quoted BJP's Piyush Goyal.

Goyal, though seems to have forgotten how in the run-up to the general elections in 2014, Narendra Modi had turned many such phrases, used by the opposition, on their heads. One such was the ‘neech rajneeti’ comment by Priyanka Gandhi.

Last week, another BJP advertisement had depicted Kejriwal and his children. It also showed Anna Hazare in a framed photograph hung on a wall with a garland around it.




The AAP leader had then tweeted, "Nathuram Godse killed Gandhiji on this day in 1948. BJP has killed Anna in its ad today. Shudn't BJP apologise?"

Meanwhile, the Delhi HC issued notice to the EC and Kejriwal on a plea filed by Walia against Kejriwal’s inclusion in the Delhi electoral rolls.

“Issue directions to respondent no 1 (Election Commission) to delete entry of his (Kejriwal's) name from the electoral roll since as per his own declaration he ceases to be ordinary resident of C II/23, Tilak Lane since 30 July 2014,″ says the plea which will be heard on February 4.

 

 

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