Jharkhand: JMM, BJP slug it out on social media

RANCHI: Politics across the country has become a fight both on the ground and social media, and the state’s ruling tribal party — Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) — has also adopted the online platform agressively and managed to take the lead on virtual platforms this time.
Countering BJP’s campaign of creating an “air of uncertainty” about the Hemant Soren-led government, the IT volunteer soldiers of JMM were successful in making hashtags like #humaraHemanthumarihimmat and #CMHemanthumaraabhiman as top trends on three consecutive days since Thursday. There were more than 58,000 tweets of #CMHemanthumaraabhiman.
Earlier on Saturday, tweet-savvy BJP MP from Godda, Nishikant Dubey, softened his barbs and started appealing to the CM to tender his resignation on his own to pave way for mid-term polls. But on Sunday, he sharpened his attack. Posting a photograph of the CM whistling during the picnic, he commented — “Zindagi kaise jeeni hai, pressure cooker se seekh li. Niche aag lagi hue hai fir bhi seeti marti hai (He has learnt to whistle from the pressure cooker which has a fire in its belly)
Dubey had unfolded the political drama in the state with a scathing attack on the CM every morning. In response, Soren’s social media handles on Sunday were abuzz with photographs from his Latratu dam picnic with UPA MLAs in a bid to dispel perceptions that there are cracks in the mahagathbandhan.
Dubey and other BJP leaders tweeted using the same photographs of team UPA along with the photograph of the Dumka girl, who succumbed to burn injuries after a youth threw acid while she was sleeping, to question the government’s sensitivity to the crimes and issues the public is facing.
The BJP leaders said the government members made merry but did not visit the girl when she was battling for life and even after she died. In another tweet, Dubey said when the state’s people are struggling with drought, the CM and his ministers are having mutton ‘bhaat’ in Latrau.
BJP’s Babulal Marandi also posted pictures of the party’s meeting at Madhuvan and targeted JMM by accusing it of filing its pockets when it is in power whereas the saffron party serves the people. In instant rebuttals, JMM said when BJP was in power, it asks people to dance to its tune and said “woh junta se taali aur thali bajwate hain, humare liye janta khud taali bajati hai”.
Armed with a team of 50 youngsters who handled its social media handles, JMM managed to put forth the sentiment of policemen who were overjoyed with the government’s decision of providing 13 months' salary and posting video clips and photos from Netarhat where overwhelming support of tribals poured in for the CM and the government’s decision to denotify the Netarhat field firing range.
One of the youngsters, a Jamshedpur-based techie-cum-businessman, said, “We are not paid workers of JMM. We take pride in our tribal CM. So, our entire team of volunteers decided to make the presence of the government felt on social media.”
On the scene behind the trending of #humaraHemanthumarihimmat, the JMM social media manager said, “What dedicated youngsters can do, no bot of the salaried social media managers can. It needs the dedication to counter the huge teams of IT professionals paid by the richest political party of the country.”