DMK launches ad war against ruling party, AIADMK hits back

Chennai:  As the political heat rises ahead of coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, DMK on Tuesday launched a hard-hitting advertisement campaign against AIADMK in newspapers and television channels, drawing a counter-offensive from the ruling party using the social media.

“In (the past) five years, you would have seen the Chief Minister (Jayalalithaa) in stickers, banners and even in television...have you seen her in person?” asked full-page advertisements in some Tamil and English dailies. The reference reiterates DMK’s charge that the CM had not personally visited flood-hit people across the state.

DMK was also critical of her practice of inaugurating projects through video-conferencing rather than going to the spot. During flood relief work last year, charges were levelled in social media that AIADMK workers were persuading NGOs to paste stickers of Jayalalithaa on relief material, which was dismissed by the ruling party as false. “It is a rumour, a canard spread by unscrupulous elements,” AIADMK had said.

Jayalalithaa had toured parts of Chennai, including her R K Nagar constituency after the October-November rains. After the December rains, she did an aerial survey of the flood- affected regions. She also reached out to people through her audio messages.

DMK advertisements on the front page of select newspapers used a popular comical dialogue “Ennamma Ipppadi Panreengaley ma?” (Why are you doing like this?). After posing the question, it ended with “Let it (AIADMK rule) end, let it (DMK rule) dawn,” a slogan coined for DMK treasurer Stalin’s “Namakku Namey” campaign and DMK’s symbol of rising sun appearing prominently.

Television commercials in leading Tamil channels also had the same content packed in a voice over.  

Responding quickly, AIADMK sought to ridicule its arch rival by posing questions in the same fashion and it was circulated in social media and mobile messaging platforms. “In (the past) five years, you would have seen Karunanidhi in the weddings of actresses, in felicitations arranged for him by himself, in Maanada Mayilada shows (a dance show on DMK-run Kalaignar TV). Have you seen him in Tamil Nadu Assembly ?” it said. It retained the comical slogan of “Ennamma” and said ‘Ozhiyattum (Let it go)’ and embossed it below the DMK symbol of the rising sun.