The BJP on Tuesday mounted a massive attack on the Congress, slamming the Opposition party for allegedly attempting to dent Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image with the help of what it called “Congress toolkit”.
Flashing papers from an alleged Congress document on its strategy for the campaign on Covid-19 mismanagement, party spokesperson Sambit Patra slammed the Opposition party’s direction to party workers to “use resources created on social media to question Modi’s incompetence from handles which look like Modi or BJP supporters”.
Congress called it “fake”, saying it is filing an FIR against Patra.
“The BJP is propagating a fake toolkit on Covid-19 mismanagement and attributing it to AICC Research Department. We are filing an FIR for forgery against BJP chief J P Nadda and BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra. When our country is devastated by Covid-19, instead of providing relief, the BJP is shamelessly concocting forgery,” said Congress spokesperson and Chairman of AICC Research Department Rajeev Gowda.
Earlier, Patra read out extensively from the purported document. He was particularly peeved at the portion of the document, which allegedly said, “the approval ratings of the Prime Minister have been very high and have not dipped despite crisis and mismanagement. This is an opportunity to destroy his image and erode his popularity.”
Patra said it is “disgusting to say the least ..Rahul Gandhi wanting to use this opportunity of Pandemic to destroy the image of PM Modi. Congress workers were instructed to call the mutant strain the ‘Modi strain’”.
Patra also alleged that “no stone left unturned to scar the name of India with the help of foreign Journalists”, citing references from the document, which also purportedly said, “international media coverage by foreign correspondents in India can be tailored to exclusively focus on Modi and his mismanagement. Liaise with foreign journalists and Indian Oped writers in foreign publications and brief them on talking points.”
"Friends look at the #CongressToolKit in extending help to the needy during the Pandemic! More of a PR exercise with the help of “Friendly Journalists” & “Influencers” than a soulful endeavour. Read for yourselves the agenda of the Congress:
#CongressToolKitExposed," Patra tweeted.
The BJP’s move to go all out on the Congress, particularly Youth Congress's attempt, to help the needy during the pandemic came after huge traction on social media for the help extended by Youth Congress workers led by its President B V Srinivas. He, along with leaders from some other political parties, was also questioned by Delhi police on allegation of hoarding and black marketing of Covid-19 medical supplies.
Later in its status report of preliminary findings submitted before Delhi High Court on Saturday, the Delhi police gave them a clean chit. The High Court later said that politicians have no business hoarding Covid-19 medicines and oxygen concentrators and questioned the clean chit given by the police to the politicians.
Also read — Politicians have no business hoarding Covid-19 medicines, should surrender them: Delhi HC
Patra cited the suggestion “Respond to help only if a person tags the IYC handle” made in the purported Congress document and the mention of Kumbh in it to accuse Congress of creating a divide.
Patra's toolkit attack on Congress with #CongressToolKitExposed, is the latest addition in the war of hashtags between the Congress and the BJP on the Covid-19 issue.
The popular Twitter handles of Congress are with hashtag #Jan Ki Baat, #Jan Loot Sarkar, #DeshKiBaat, #COVID19India, #VaccineShortage, #ArrestMeToo, while the BJP earlier carried on with the simpler ones "#IndiaFightsCorona, #SevaHiSangathan. Clearly, the BJP is now looking to add some more teeth to its campaign.
The Congress has also lapped catchy one-liners – “VISTA se Vinash Tak” and full sentences like “it is not the enemy which is invisible but the BJP government in this hour of crisis” and “The Modi govt is administering a lethal dose of incompetence to India” to hammer the point that “this is a reflection of the chaos that follows when the central govt is plagued by policy-paralysis” as “In a democracy like ours, collective conscience works best, not one man's ‘genius’".
The Congress's emotive campaign has also taken use of poetry to hammer home the message of the government's indifference to people particularly at a time when there is talk that children are more vulnerable in the third phase of the pandemic.
"Jo Bhara Nahin Hai Bhavo se, Bahti Jisme Rasdhar nahi, wo Hriday Nahin Pathar hai, Jisme Swadesh ka pyar nahin (one who does not have emotions, one has no sentiments, that is not heart but a stone, which has no love for the nation), the famous lines from a Hindi poem was used by Congress on Twitter to say Indian mothers asking why Modi sent vaccines meant for their children abroad sent abroad.
Both the BJP and the Congress have kept the spotlight on Modi in their attack and counterattack with the former saying that the buck must stop at him as it is the PMO that is taking all decisions while the ruling party leaders hailed the work done by Modi in respect to all aspects of the pandemic.
"PM Modi's vision is helping the poor and needy in fighting Covid. The Modi government is ensuring astute implementation of India’s vaccination programme. India is battling against Covid second wave bravely under PM Modi. India battling against Covid 2nd wave bravely under PM Modi. Modi government scaling up Sputnik V production in India. Modi government is ensuring astute implementation of India's vaccination programme," are some of the one-liners used by the BJP to counter the Congress campaign, indicating how the BJP is entirely banking on the personal image of the Prime Minister to face the growing criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic.