For some time now the BJP has promised a “Congress-mukt Bharat” – a pledge to wipe out India’s largest opposition party. To a large extent,...
For some time now the BJP has promised a “Congress-mukt Bharat” – a pledge to wipe out India’s largest opposition party. To a large extent, the BJP has been successful even beyond its own projections, with not only the Congress but the opposition in most other states unable to meaningfully counter the saffron party.
One exception to this however remains the Trinamool Congress. As Bengal heads to the polls, it is clear that the state will see a proper political contest. For a change, the BJP will be challenged.
Given these stakes, the limited turnout at Narendra Modi’s Kolkata rally on Sunday was notable. Held at the city’s historic Brigade Parade Ground, the prime minister managed to fill up significantly less than half of the maidan.
Firefighting with fake news
So small was the turnout that the BJP, strategically, withheld bird’s eye drone footage that would show the true extent of the crowd. Instead, low angle shots from the stage were put out which obscured the actual turnout. Finally, as a fire fighting measure, a large number of BJP handles on social media shared fake photos of the 2019 Left rally at the same ground – which unlike today’s BJP...
