Recently, a new twist has been observed in Indian politics in which a poster war has begun on social media between the Indian National Congress (Congress) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This battle was particularly observed on the social media website ‘X’ (which was earlier known as Twitter). Both the parties targeted their opponents’ leaders and posted posters with biting and spicy captions, which has polarized the political atmosphere, particularly because of the election season.
BJP’s controversial poster about Rahul Gandhi
A poster was posted from the BJP’s official X handle on October 5, 2023, featuring Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the “Ravana of the new era.” In that poster, many heads of Rahul were created, and the caption said, “India is in danger—A Congress Party Production, Directed by George Soros.” The poster was put out in retaliation against a sarcastic attack made by the Congress on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress responded angrily to this BJP Ravana poster. Top party chief Jairam Ramesh termed it wholly “unacceptable” and “risky.” He stated that this poster is an attempt to sell hatred and violence against Rahul Gandhi, which could be very regarding in a democratic setup. He additionally reminded them that Rahul Gandhi’s circle of relatives has already been victimized by using terror and political violence.
Congress’s counterattack: Sarcasm on Modi
To counteract this, the Congress party also came out with a few posters attacking Prime Minister Modi. In one of them all, he became classified as “Biggest Liar,” whereas in some other, he became attached to the label of “Jumla Boy.” Congress alleged that the authorities of Modi haven’t supplied the promises they made to people and rather have only made grand statements that are far removed from the ground reality.
With these posters, the Congress is condemning the statements and policies of the BJP and desires to convey to the public that the Modi government failed to deliver on its promises.
Public reaction and political analysis
There is a lot of debate in the public regarding this poster war. The supporters of both parties have begun posting in favor of their respective leaders on social media. Many are finding such politics interesting, while others claim that it distracts from the actual issues.
Political observers feel that all this reflects the polarization of Indian politics, where symbolic and emotional politics is favored over serious policy deliberations. These posters are created only to sully the reputation of the rivals, but issues of the common man are never addressed through this.
Role of social media
This whole controversy demonstrates the scale to which social media hase a political propaganda tool in the current age. Political parties are attempting to shape the minds of the masses by means of posters, memes, and hashtags on digital platforms such as Twitter (now X), Facebook, and Instagram.
But this also raises the threat of circulating wrong information and causing tension in the society. According to experts, there is a need to place digital campaigning under some rules so that it can cause healthy and constructive political debate.
Conclusion
This poster war between BJP and Congress indicates that Indian politics has now progressed to a point where the power of visual campaigns may have grown immensely. In the election culture, these tactics might exhilarate the party workers, but this lessens the likelihood of discussions on hard-hitting issues.
Now it is to be seen how much further this war of posters grows in the times to come, or if the political parties get back to issues and policy. For the development of democracy, it is necessary that the debate be on issues such as development, employment, education, and health, and not restricted to merely taunting one another.
May 19, 2025