'Beef biryani' vs 'Beef Janata Party': Poll-bound Kar sees online video war

Bengaluru: Ruling Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in poll bound Karnataka have unleashed an all out beef focused social media war with both parties posting a series of videos mocking each other.

In the latest video, Congress has poured scorn on BJP, calling it “Beef Janata Party” and poked fun at its “hypocrisy” on the beef ban issue after the saffron party came out with a ‘recipe’ for “Siddu beef biryani”.

The online video duel with dripping sarcasm began with Congress posting a tweet titled ‘recipe for a BJP star campaigner,’ targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

This came soon after the Twitter war between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Adityanath, mocking each other on the development agenda during the latter’s campaign in Karnataka that has gone viral on the internet.

The video with a caricature of UP CM in a hot pan titling “recipe for a BJP star campaigner” included ingredients like criminal records, saffron dye, crocodile tears, homophobia, misogyny, zero attention to development, simmer on communal flame and bringing to a boil, garnish with ignorance, and serve with hate in Karnataka.

As the Congress’ video jibe at BJP and Adityanath went viral, BJP hit back with a video attacking Siddaramaiah led government of being “anti-Hindu.”

The video titled “Gundu Rao Military Hotel” with caricatures of Siddaramaiah, party working President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Social Media in-charge Ramya said the recipe for “Siddu beef biryani” includes stolen rice from ‘Anna Bagya’ scheme, cow meat from illegal slaughter house and Hindu blood (citing alleged murders of Hindu activists), among others.

Commenting on the video, a young BJP leader had said, “We chose to give them (Congress) a taste of their own medicine.” The saffron party recently also tweeted a video, alleging that Karnataka under Siddaramaiah has become a killing yard for farmers and the state has recorded the highest number of farmer deaths.

The video that begins with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking about the upliftment of farmers and the agrarian sector highlighted farmer suicides under the Congress regime in Karnataka, citing various newspaper articles.

It also accused the state government of not implementing central government schemes like ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojna’ and questions whether they did so as the scheme was from a Prime Minister who belonged to the BJP.

Responding to BJP’s attack, Congress fired a fresh salvo on Saturday tweeting a video in which it called BJP ‘Beef Janata Party’ and accused it of “hypocrisy” on the beef ban issue.

“Parrikar wants to import it, Yogi wants to export it, Rijiju wants to eat it, Som wants to sell it. Do not mix Beef and Business. Mixing Beef and Politics, a definite YES! Enough of your hypocrisy @BJP4India,” the tweet along with the video showcasing reported comments by various BJP leaders on the issue, said.

The duel between both parties is seen as a bid to conquer social media space and maintain their dominance over it in the run-up to the polls early this year.

According to sources, the video battle between both parties is set to intensify in the days to come with dedicated digital communications teams being set up for the purpose.