Posters carrying the words 'Jhooth Ki Goonj' surfaced across Indore ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's scheduled student interaction programme in the city, triggering a war of words between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
While the Congress termed the posters a ploy by the BJP to create obstacles for the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in the city, the ruling BJP countered that students themselves had launched the campaign to express outrage over being coerced into attending the programme.
The development has come a day after the Madhya Pradesh police issued a security directive stating that organisers of the Chhatron Ki Goonj event would share joint responsibility with police for crowd control and entry-exit points at the venue, citing the Verma Commission report on Rajiv Gandhi's 1991 assassination.
Hitting out at the ruling party, the Congress's city unit president Chintu Chouksey said, "The BJP, which always lies, has put up 'Jhooth Ki Goonj' posters across the city."
The BJP had ensured every possible obstacle was created at its behest to disrupt the organisation of Gandhi's programme, he claimed, asserting that the Congress was holding the programme despite these hurdles.
Local Congress leaders and functionaries were seen removing the posters from different locations in the city.
BJP state co-media in-charge Alok Dubey rejected the Congress's allegations, claiming that youngsters and students in the city were being pressured to attend Gandhi's programme, and because of this, they had themselves launched the 'Jhooth Ki Goonj' campaign.
He said these posters represent what students feel and carry a clear message that Gandhi lies.
The Congress had initially sought permission to hold the programme at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the city on September 12, but was denied permission after the civic authorities stated that the stadium could be allotted only for sports or government events as per a Madhya Pradesh High Court order.
The Opposition party then postponed the programme to September 19 and applied for a venue opposite Regional Park. It deposited Rs 10.08 lakh with the Indore Development Authority (IDA) for a three-day temporary lease of around 12,000 square metres of land.
(With inputs from PTI)