Hyderabad: Name-calling of opponents was the hallmark of the campaigning for the Assembly elections in Telangana. The jibes at opponents sometimes exceeded the bounds of decency and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao himself began this trend of abusing political rivals, which was quickly adopted by the latter who replied in kind.
Derogatory words used to describe opponents were battebaaz, liar, chor, joker, betrayer, thieves, looters, bewakoof, Alibaba aur 40 chor, mental, Chandramukhi, mayakutami, Joseph Goebbels, dwarf, and the like. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the MIM’s Owaisi brothers tried to outdo each other in the battle of insults further lowering the tone and tenor of the campaign.
Here's a look at who said what as the state votes tomorrow:
Caretaker CM K. Chand-rashekar Rao made statements like “Oo ante case, uchcha posthe case” (they are filing cases even for urinating), and “Okatiki, rentiki povalanna Delhi permission kaalave” (they need Delhi's permission even to urinate). “Chembadka pothe vaasa-na lekunda chestharu” (they promise to keep your asses clean after you finish defecating). He also used words like “sanka naakadam” (licking the armpit), “Durmargugu, Rakshasudu, Thoo. Neeyavva, Mee Bathuku Cheda, Meeru Nasanamai Ponu, Na bondha Kutami"
At one point he seemed to be denigrating the people of the country and TS when he said they were not mature enough to take the right decision as far as exercising their vote was concerned and selecting the right candidate at Adilabad. He also called people attending his public address at Alampur, “bewakoof” and even termed their excitement as “brainless”.
Prime Minister Modi, Mr Rao said, has a “Hindu-Muslim disease.” He told D.K. Aruna of Congress, “You better keep your tongue in control before I reveal hard facts about you to the people.”
Caretaker minister T. Harish Rao threatened violence like many others from different political parties. “If such mindless talk (by the opposition) continues like this, we will cut off your tongue, let me warn you,” he said after Mr Vanteru Prathap Reddy claimed during a campaign meeting in Gajwel that Mr Harish Rao was in touch with him.
At the Mudiraju Ashirwada Sabha in Siddipet, Mr Harish Rao said, “Eenadu Telangana pragati ni adgu adgu na addukuntuna KCR kavala” (Do you want KCR who is stopping the development of Telangana at every step?)
Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy called Mr Chandrasekhar Rao battebaaz and dhokebaaz. He said in Hyderabadi dialect, a habitual liar and cheater is called a battebaaz and the term perfectly fits Mr Rao as he has cheated all sections of society during his four-and-a-half year regime.
Caretaker minister K.T. Rama Rao called Congress leaders “spineless”. He said the TRS would enter Andhra Pradesh to “politically finish off (Chief Minister Chandrababu) Naidu”. Mr Chandrababu wants to make Ms Nanda-muri Suhasini a scapegoat and later wants to restrict her brothers, he said.
Not to be left behind, Congress leader A. Revanth Reddy was equally insulting. After being released by the police this week after his dramatic nigh-time arrest, he said, “Can KTR twirl his moustache? He doesn’t even have a moustache. We don’t even know if you are woman or belong to other gender.”
Retorting to the allegation of the TRS that the Prajakutami CM is sealed cover CM, Mr Revanth Reddy said, “If Mahakutami candidate is sealed cover CM, isn’t it better than your cheap liquor CM?” Even if Harish beheads himself and gives his head to KCR, he would say that it is a watermelon. “KCR kallu thagina kothi (KCR is like a monkey that has consumed toddy),” he said.
AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu by mistake asked people to vote out the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections while campaigning for Ms Suhaisini in Kukatpally. He asked people to vote for the TD, then said, “Congress will lose” and corrected himself saying “BJP will lose”, a slip of the tongue no doubt occasioned by the many years when the TD and Congress were bitter enemies.
Actor Balakrishna campaigning for the TD, said Telangana people who didn't even know the spelling of IT were taught the definition of IT by Chandrababu Naidu. The actor has become quite the favourite due to his hugely popular rendering of the patriotic number Saare Jahaan Se Achcha.
TD finance minister Etala Rajender addressing a gathering at Huzurabad resorted to body shaming his Congress rival Padi Koushik Reddy, when he said, “Will you people vote if a person (Koushik) has good height, weight and moustache?” Koushik, cousin of TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy, in turn called the finance minister a dwarf, and said, “I am like 6-feet bullet and you are not even 4 feet.”
During a road show at Nirmal, caretaker minister Indrakaran Reddy mistakenly asked people to vote for the Congress: “Cheyi gurthuke mana vote” (vote for the hand symbol). He repeated this twice before correcting himself and tried to cover up his gaffe by saying, “I wanted to say lift your hand but ended up saying vote for hand symbol.”
Communist Party of India national secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy addressing an election meeting along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday, compared Mr Rao’s mouth to a public toilet.
Mr Adityanath harping on his favourite theme said, “If BJP comes to power in Telangaa, Owaisi will have to flee from Telangana just the way the Nizam was forced to flee from Hyderabad.” Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM said of the UP chief minister, “You are zero in history and if you cannot read then ask somebody who can.”
In the same vein BJP leader Raja Singh said that if the BJP comes to power in Telangana it would ensure that all those who don’t chant Bharat mata ki jai and Vande Mataram would be kicked out of India.
Congress leader Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy said in Nalgonda that after he wins the election he would “strip and beat the people who did not vote for him.” Like other promises made to voters, this one is likely to remain unfulfilled.
