Animals are hogging all the limelight this poll season. They have, sort of, taken a centre-stage in the political arena as all the major players are going overboard to score a political mileage and browbeat their rivals by raking up their names.
The brouhaha in the political circle started with BJP PM-pick Narendra Modi, when in an interview with news channel, he was heard quoting ‘puppy’ sobriquet when he was asked to comment on the Godhra issue.
Notably, the issue still is Achilles’s heels for Modi whenpolitical rivals did not leave any chance to fire salvo at him everytime they addressed a public meeting or interact with news channels. Modi is in the firing line of his arch rivals on the issue to this date.
Since then, the political turf is inundated with such comments and counter comments — center staging the animal jibe and even the seasoned politicians did not miss the ‘opportunity’ to lash at their rival politicians.
Most recent was the lion and Hyena jibe which Modi and his political arch-rival Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav were heard barraging on one another during political hustings this election season. Modi had taunted
that Gujarat gave lions to UP but the State Government feared so much that it put them behind
the cages.
In the counter reply, Akhilesh Yadav said the lions greeted him when he visited the zoo recently expressed their gratitude towards him. The UP CM was later was heard quoting that the UP Government had sent Hyenas to the Gujarat Government.
In between, the jibe of Union Minister, Beni Prasad Verma is also worth quoting as he was heard throwing dog jibe on his political rival Modi. In a counter reply, Modi acknowledged the barb saying this way Beni certified that he was very loyal as the dogs are very loyal by their basic instinct.
The ongoing ‘jibe’ campaigning is becoming more vitriolic and full of comedy. Recently, when Samajwadi Party supremo landed in lakhimpur to address public, a stray bull came at the place where his chopper landed. The incident gave enough fodder to Modi to take a jibe at Netaji saying the UP Government did not have any control on stray animals.
Modi, however, got a counter scathing with Netaji told that the bull had come to welcome him. “But this Parliamentary election, the names of animals outsmarted any other metaphors that a political leader uses against his or her rival. The words were highest in numbers in being quoted in newspapers, English and Vernaculars, twitter and facebook and other social media websites this election season,” said a political analyst.
It was found that after the notification for the election was announced on February 28, the political leaders were all out with salvos to denigrate their rivals. “This election they had other jibes also. But most catching among the jibe is addressing their rivals or personifying their rivals by the names of animals. The puppy, lion and Hyena jibe was highest among that were fired on political rivals,” the political observers said.