CHANDIGARH: Politics with a dash of Bollywood is a hit in Haryana election rallies. Politicians from Congress and the main opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are picking phrases from Bollywood films to score points with their supporters. In the latest fad, politicians are using phrases “Gulaabi Gang” and “Tihar Gang” to take potshots at each other. The former has been culled out from “Gulaab Gang”, a film that was recently released.
INLD first took a dig at the Congress-led Hooda government by launching “Gulabi Gang Sarkar”, a campaign on Facebook, and later, advertisements on TV channels under the title “Golibaz Gulabi Gang”. INLD also coined the slogan “Golibaaz Gulabi Gang Sarkar”. The obvious reference is to the pink colour the Congress uses for its flags, headgear and scarves.
It was Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s turn to strike. He referred to INLD and some other parties as the “Tihar Gang.” “Haryana ko Tihar gang se bachana hai… some members of the (Tihar) gang are in jail while others are out on bail. This gang is out to grab power in Haryana. You need to beware of them,” he tells people at his rallies.
Hooda was making a reference to former CM and INLD Chief Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala who were lodged at Tihar Jail after they were convicted by a CBI court in Delhi in the JBT teachers’ recruitment scam and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He also targets former home minister and independent MLA from Sirsa (city) Gopal Kanda who is currently on bail in the suicide case of former employee Geetika Sharma.
The INLD’s “Gulabi Gang” spoof targets the Congress government and Hooda’s coterie on issues like the change of land use, land acquisition, unemployment and development. The advertisements states, “Kya yahi hai number one Haryana?” (Is this Number One Haryana?)
Reacting to INLD’s ‘Gulabi Gang’ campaign, the Haryana CM says, “Gulabi is the colour of prosperity. It reflects the overall progress of Haryana.” Congress has now coined a new slogan “Sach Ko Jaano Sach Ko Pehchaano, Congress Sarkar Teesri Baar” in its campaign.