Posters enliven Rajasthan politics

Politics over monsoon is not new to Rajasthan, but what is new about it is that political parties are now targeting their opponents with posters and caricatures.

The opposition BJP had always taken potshots at chief minister Ashok Gehlot, dubbing him synonymous with drought as his first term was marked by four consecutive years of drought.

His second time was also overshadowed by lack of rain.

The state, which had been fearing a drought this time too, has been saved by the late revival of monsoon, and the Congress lost no time to turn the tables against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

To counter the BJP’s statements clubbing drought and Gehlot’s rule, Congress workers have put up posters in the city comparing Gehlot to  the ‘rain god’, showering prosperity to the state through various government schemes.

Dancing peacock

Another poster caricaturing Gehlot as a dancing peacock, and portraying former chief minister Vasundhara Raje as a crying, unhappy bird uncomfortable with the rain, has created a political stir as this is the first time that a leader has been particularly targeted.

Congress member Suresh Ajmera put up these posters portraying Gehlot as a happy, dancing peacock in the rain, while Raje — as a bird that does not like rain — disappointingly watches him.

“The state government has nothing to list as achievements and it is trying to take credit for a natural phenomenon. This is poster politics,” said BJP vice president Suman Sharma.

Two years ago, when Gehlot was on a foreign trip during summer, BJP workers had launched an SMS campaign requesting him to delay his return to the state as after his departure the ‘rain god’ had blessed the state.