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Yogi, Siddaramaiah spar on twitter, their parties join in
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah sparred on twitter on Sunday. Both tweeted barbs at each other on a day when Yogi visited Bengaluru for the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra rally, his second in three weeks in the southern state.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah sparred on twitter on Sunday. Both tweeted barbs at each other on a day when Yogi visited Bengaluru for the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra rally, his second in three weeks in the southern state.
Soon, the twitter-war between the two chief ministers turned into a full fledged political controversy with both the BJP and the Congress taking to the social media platforms to target each other.
The BJP that has been getting the UP chief minister to campaign in election-bound states has now decided to get Adityanath to canvass in Karnataka, the state where BJP is hoping to wrest power from the Congress.
In fact more than his speech in which he accused the Congress of ruining Karanataka, it was his tweets that started trending on the social media.
Soon after Adityanath landed in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah started the twitter war by tweeting that the UP CM had a “lot to learn” from the Congress-ruled state.
“I welcome UP CM Shri @myogiadityanath to our state. There is a lot you can learn from us sir. When you are here, please visit an Indira canteen and a ration shop. It will help you address the starvation deaths sometimes reported from your state,” tweeted Siddaramaiah signing off his tweet with #YogiInBengaluru
Indira canteens, modelled on the lines of the hugely popular Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu, are mandated to provide hygienic, nutritious food such as idlis and rice dishes with the usual accompaniments to the urban poor. The prices are as low as Rs 5 for breakfast and Rs 10 for lunch and dinner. Designed by a former Taj Group chef, the rotational menu has 25 items, which includes brinjal rice, sambar rice, pongal, khara bath, methi rice, and kesari bath as the lone sweet item. A similar canteen with subsidised food has also been envisaged by the BJP government in UP.
@INCKarnataka, the twitter handle of Karnataka unit of the Congress too targeted the Adityanath government. It cited NCRB data to claim that Adityanath-ruled UP, tops India in crime signing off the tweet.
Within hours, Adityanath responded. “Thank you for the welcome @siddaramaiah ji. I heard number of farmers committing suicide in Karnataka was highest in your regime, not to mention the numerous deaths and transfer of honest officers. As UP CM I am working to undo the misery and lawlessness unleashed by your allies,” he tweeted.
The tweet like the one by Siddaramaiah soon went viral with supporters on each sides joining in.
Adityanath’s post was retweeted 4239 times and had 7436 likes against Siddaramaiah whose comment was retweeted 1528 times with 2625 likes.
The BJP Karnataka unit’s twitter handle @BJP4Karnataka got active. “Thank you, @inckarnataka for putting out a report card of your allies – SP and BSP who ruled UP for the last 14 years and supported the UPA between 2000-14. Do you realise that Yogi has been CM for ONLY 10 months and things are already improving! Being out of power for so long must be hard,” went the tweet in response to the Congress listing statistics on ‘poor’ law and order in the state.
The social media cell managing @INCUttarPradesh, the twitter handle of the UP unit of the Congress joined the war.
“Who are you trying to fool. We live here and know how bad the current law and order situation is. Do you want us to list all the rapes, murders, larceny etc in just 2017!,” the Congress’s UP unit retorted as BJP’s Karnataka chief and former chief minister BS Yedyurappa joined what had by now become a free-for-all.
“Thanks CM @siddaramaiah for welcoming Shri @myogiadityanath ji to our state. Election eve at least has made you courteous. Inaugurating Indira canteen @officeofRG admitted Amma canteen inspired it. Hope BLR roads turned potholes under your leadership don’t impact Yogiji!”
