Updated May 11th, 2020 at 14:34 IST

'Mamata is scared' vs 'BJP is speaking nonsense': Bengal Twitter war explodes amid Covid

A political war is being fought on social media between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in Bengal amid the Coronavirus lockdown

Reported by: Suryagni Roy
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Political rallies and sloganeering might not be possible throughout the country amidst the Corona lockdown, but political wars are being fought on social media between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in Bengal.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a social media campaign taking a swipe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for staying away from the media for more than a week. The campaign is being called "Bhoy Peyechhe Mamata", which means 'Mamata is scared' in Bengali. 

The Trinamool Congress was not far behind. A counter-campaign called #BhatbokcheBJP, or 'BJP is speaking nonsense' was seen to be trending on Twitter throughout the weekend. TMC has been alleging massive misinformation being spread by BJP and its IT Cell Chief, Amit Malviya.

It is the people who will finally decide on who is right and who is not, opined BJP's Bengal Chief, Dilip Ghosh. He said, "Everyone has an opinion, they are keeping theirs, and we are keeping ours on the public platform. People will decide who is right and wrong."

Another new hashtag was started on Monday by the BJP, questioning Mamata Banerjee's visibility. It is being called, #KothaeaAcheMamata or "where is Mamata".

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'Mamata's administration has misled the people'

"PPE kit discrepancies, death toll embezzlement, ration corruption from the beginning till now Mamata Official ‘s administration has misled the people. People of Bengal will teach you a lesson. #KothayAcheMamata" tweeted Union minister Babul Supriyo on Monday.

The TMC has been alleging that BJP is using social media to propagate misinformation. MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar took to Twitter to question Amit Malviya's post. The MP wrote, "Typical example of being an andh-bhakt failing to comprehend facts & figures. Quoting numbers reported till 9 AM to raise doubts for cases confirmed later in the day. Amit Malviya please be a smart liar at least, otherwise, JPNadda Ji will have to keep disowning you!#BhatBokcheBJP"

The battle on Twitter with trending hashtags have been trending since the past few days and doesn't look set to abate.

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Published May 11th, 2020 at 14:34 IST