Two party programmes, the BJP's national executive meet and TRS rally in support of presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha, have heightened the political temperature in the city of Hyderabad. The TRS and the BJP, ahead of the programmes, have been engaging in turf wars to occupy public spaces to showcase their strength in the form of advertisements hoardings ahead of these two events.
Several posters and flex boards that mock the Prime Minister and the BJP have sprung up in the city ahead of the visit by Narendra Modi and other senior leaders of the party. One of the billboards which mocks the Prime Minister has sparked a row and the BJP has accused TRS of taking up all the Hyderabad Metro premises to fill all available spaces with billboards highlighting welfare schemes of the KCR government, leaving no space for them.
The hoarding which sparked row features the hashtag #ByeByeModi, and includes references to the revoked farm laws, Agnipath scheme, demonetisation, privatisation of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and the Union government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It said “Enough Modi,” (Saalu Modi) and “Don’t kill people Modi" (Sampaku Modi" in a seeming counter attack to the campaign of "Enough Feudal" (Saalu Dora) and "Leave Dora" (Selavu Dora) started by the BJP against Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR).
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Some billboards put up by the TRS with "permission" were allegedly removed by the BJP cadres leading to the former registering a complaint with Cyberabad Police Commissioner Stephen Ravindra.
On Friday, in the city's LB Nagar, a giant hoarding was erected mocking PM Modi with a parody of Money Heist , a popular Netflix series. The hoarding has a photo of a money heist gang with a message that read "Mr N Modi we only rob banks, you rob the whole nation."
On Saturday, men dressed up in "Money Heist" dress with placards which has
"Mr N Modi we only rob bank, you rob the whole nation #ByeByeModi " appeared at several central institutions like railway stations, premises of public sector banks and LIC offices and other public spaces.
Jumping into the billboard row between the BJP and TRS, the Congress has released a photoshopped image of the Netflix parody hoarding in which they mocked both the parties.
The photoshopped image shows Chief Minister KCR and his son K Taraka Ramarao (KTR), also a minister, in "Money Heist" style suits with a message that read as "Mr N Modi we only rob Telangana, you rob the whole nation."
Even before PM Modi arrived in Hyderabad, TRS had taken out a massive rally from Begumpet Airport to People's Plaza in support of Yashwanth Sinha. This counter spectacle was to dim the saffron show planned by the Telangana' BJP.
Officials have already issued traffic advisories owing to the high-end political drama that is unfolding in the city.