A hoarding war between TRS and BJP

Hyderabad: Ahead of Bharatiya Janata Party's national executive meeting in Hyderabad, a hoarding war has started in the city. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have filled the city with multiple hoardings.

While there are several BJP hoardings and cut-outs with photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi put up throughout the city, anti-Modi hoardings have also come up.

BJP hoardings with photos of Mr. Modi and other BJP leaders have been placed on the sides of roads and near Metro pillars. Most of the BJP banners are not on billboards but have been placed as standalone cut-outs. BJP has alleged that TRS spent Rs. 23 crores to book all Metro pillars and other advertising spots in the GHMC limits.

On the other hand, there are multiple billboards across several parts of the city criticising Mr. Modi who is visiting the city on 2 and 3 July. The anti-Modi hoardings are placed strategically along roads/pathways that the PM and other BJP members will take after landing at the Hyderabad airport.

A massive hoarding accusing Mr. Modi of robbing the nation was put up in LB Nagar. The hoarding has a photo of Money Heist, a popular Spanish crime drama that revolves around a group of people who attempt to rob banks. "Mr. N. Modi, we only rob banks, you rob the whole nation," the hoarding reads.

Another hoarding reads, "We support Sri Yashwanth Singha ji as the President of India." The banner also has pictures of Yashwanth Singha, Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao, Telangana MA&UD minister K.T Rama Rao, Serlingampalle MLA Arekapudi Gandhi, Chevalla MP Gaddam Ranjith, and TRS Madhapur division president Erragudla Srinivas Rao. This hoarding has been placed near the Hitech City flyover, close to where the executive meeting will take place.

A member of the BJP Hyderabad's legal team, Bhargav Ram Neelam, said they have raised a complaint against a few banners that used improper language. "We raised a complaint about the Cantonment board and most of such offensive banners have been removed," he said. Complaints were filed against banners that had "Saalu Modi, Sampaku Modi" (Enough Modi, don't kill people Modi) banners.

So far, no complaint has been registered against the Money Heist billboard.

However, there are still many billboards and banners that feature the hashtag #ByeByeModi and the slogan "Saalu Modi, Sampaku Modi" with references to the repealed farm laws, Agnipath scheme, demonetisation, privatisation of public sector undertakings (PSUs), and the Union government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to the billboards, TRS has also erected cut-outs similar to BJP's saffron banners and placed them at a few junctions in Gachibowli, near the junction opposite the ORR (which Mr. Modi will have to take while coming from the airport).