When a BJP poster turns UP battlefield into Kurukshetra

VARANASI/AGRA: Taking a leaf out of the Mahabharata, a BJP member in Varanasi has released a controversial poster depicting the party's newly appointed state president Keshav Maurya as Lord Krishna, the state of UP as Druapadi, and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi, BSP supremo Mayawati, SP member Azam Khan and AIMM MP Asaduddin Owaisi as Kauravas trying to disrobe her.

BJP, meanwhile, has denied either knowledge of or hand in the poster, which has taken as its inspiration a scene in the Mahabharata that talks of Draupadi's `chir haran' (stripping) by the evil Kauravas.

Asked about it, Maurya said he had “heard about the poster“ but hadn't seen it. “I will be able to comment on this only after I have seen it,“ the state BJP chief said even as party MLC and president of Varanasi region Laxman Acharya an nounced that “BJP has nothing to do with the poster“.

BJP member Rupesh Pandey , who pasted the poster on the walls of his office and house in Varanasi and also uploaded it on social media sites ahead of Maurya's upcoming visit to the city, said this was his way of welcoming the new BJP chief. “Keshav is another name of Lord Krishna. I am sure he will free UP from the prevailing anarchy caused by years of SP, BSP and Congress misrule,“ Pandey added.

While SP workers burnt an effigy of Maurya in front of the local BJP office in Sigra, Varanasi, in protest against the poster, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said the poster was an “insult to god“. He added, “For political gains, BJP is insulting gods and is making a mockery of democracy .“