Spicy slogans greet voters in UP elections

Lucknow, Mar 30: Slogan shouting had always been an integral part of the present-day electionering, and it is becoming louder by the day with all the parties coining new 'catch lines' out of their election-lexicon to woo the voters in the coming seven-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly polls starting April 7.

Gone are the days of 'Garibi Hatao' or ' Hamse Jo Takrayega Choor Choor Ho Jayega'. Now a days the new slogans are being created with a lot of spice.

Some slogans are a mere declaration of parties' policies while some are just a manifestation of indignation to play down the achievements of political opponents. Few slogans do not belong to either of the two and are plainly entertainment material lacking seriousness of the elections.

The ruling Samajwadi Party may have taken the lead with slogans mouthed by none other the mega star himself Amitabh Bachchan are heard in television commercial and seen on the hoaradings all over the state, but the counter of these are there in the form of more innovative and queerer punch lines.

''UP Mein Hai Dam Kyonki Jurm Yahan Hai Kam ( UP has the strength because crime is less here )'',the line used by Big B in the support of Mulayam's party is being replied by the Congress as ''UP Mein Tha Dam, Kahan Pahuch Gaye Ham (UP had the strength but where have we reached).'' The SP has gone a step further with a series of slogans mainly focused on party president and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Its latest audio-visual also enacted by party MPs Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Prada has the new slogan 'Badli Badli Hawa Chali, Badla Badla Mausam, Kayam Rahe Uttar Pradesh, Kayam Rahe Mulayam ( Atmosphere is fast changing but UP and Mulayam should remain unchanged)''.

Simlarly, an advertisment blitzkreig planned by SP inlcudes many punchlines featuring Mulayam as 'Mere Dhandhe Ki Barkat Hai Mulayam ( Mulayam is success of my business)''or ''Mera Rozgar Hai Mulayam (Mulayam is my employment)'or a farmer is shown saying ''Mere Ganne Ki Mithas Hai Mulaaym (Mulayam is sweetness of my sugarcane)''.

The efforts from the ruling party is to play down what it describes as the 'bogey' of poor law and order while the opposition parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party have come out with new slogans to attack the Mulayam-led government on the issue.

Congress, on the one hand is concentrating on its old fashioned slogans like 'Jat Par Na Paat Par, Mohar lagegi Haath Par( Vote for Congress not for any caste and creed) while on the other side it is in no mood to spare Mulayam on Nithari killings and rape girls in an Allahabad Madarsa by coining 'Nithari Ka Sach Yahan Bauna Hai, Madarsa Kand Kya Kam Ghinona Hai( Nithari truth is even dwarfed here while the Madarsa case is equally ghastly)''.

BJP, upbeat after the recent successes in Uttarakhand and Punjab assembly polls are out to corner Mulayam government on the law and order and crime rate in UP. ''Ek Nayi Lagan Uttar Pradesh Ko Khoon Se Rangne Ki(SP is committed to paint UP in blood)'' and ''UP Mein Hai Dam Kyonki Apradh Yahan Hota Hardam (UP has strength because crimes take place here all the time)''.

Beside this, the BJP has already floated some cliched slogans like 'BJP Lao Dar Bhagao( Bring BJP to get rid of fear)'' or ''Goonda Raj Ya Sabhya Samaj, Badlav Behatari Ke Liye (Goonda rule or civilised society, the change for the better)''.

Mayawati-led BSP, which has made an apparent effort to take along all the sections of the society as evident in its ticket distribution for the assembly polls, has coined 'Haathi Nahi Ganesh hai, Bramhma , Vishnu, Mahesh Hai(It is not just an elephant but it is s form of Lord Ganesh, as well as Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva),'' to highlight its election symbol of elephant in an innovative manner.

Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), mainly confined to West UP, has coined slogans to woo their farmers. One of its prominent slogans include ''Har Haath Ko Kaam, Har Khet Ko Paani (Employment to all, water for every field)''. RLD which is advocating the cause of Separate 'Harit Pradesh' proposed to be carved out from UP has also been clamouring 'Chota Pradesh, Khushal Pradesh (Small State, Happy State)''.

A slogans popular in Bareilly (city) assembly city seat coined by an eunuch candidate Saroj Kinnar reads like 'Kalyug Mein Hoga Kinnar Raj, Ram De Gaye Ashirwad( Eunuchs will rule in the moder times according to Lord Ram's blessings)''.

UNI