Billboards with Modi hanging his head and the words "Modi No Entry" printed large in red block letters in the background have sprung up. Others have messages like "Modi Never Again" and show the PM running for dear life with a huge, angry crowd chasing him down. The crowd has been painted in the shape of Andhra Pradesh, indicating the state’s anger at the Centre’s indifference towards fulfilling bifurcation promises. One such hoarding has been erected even at the Gannavaram Airport where the PM will be arriving.
Even though no political party has claimed responsibility for the act, the images have appeared on billboards that were previously put up by the Telugu Desam Party, which means the party could have booked these billboard spaces.
TDP National Spokesperson Dinakar Lanka, responding on the row, claimed that the erection of such billboards showed the disgruntlement of 5 crore Andhraites.
When asked if TDP cadres were involved in the issue, Lanka said, “The protest seems to be very genuine as each and every Andhra citizen's blood is boiling because of the injustice. This reflects that dissent against Modi, they felt it and they erected it." He said that the allegations of the TDP sponsoring the act are false and baseless.
After the billboards were noticed on Saturday, BJP workers have demanded action. BJP National Secretary Sathya Kumar, along with other state leaders, has met DGP RP Thakur seeking action against the persons who have erected the billboards.
Speaking to TNM, Appala Naidu, DCP, Law and Order, Vijayawada, said that they're probing the matter. He added that the they removed since they're objectionable in nature.
“We have asked the municipal authorities to remove those billboards in view of preventing any untoward incidents. We will probe the motive and intention behind this act if asked and required,” he said.
Narendra Modi will be addressing a public meeting at the Praja Chaintanya Sabha on Sunday in Guntur as part of the upcoming General Election campaign. This is the PM’s first visit to the state after the TDP pulled out of the NDA following a fallout over Special Category Status (SCS) and several other bifurcation promises.
It was only a few weeks ago that the PM’s visit was met with a similar uproar in Tamil Nadu. Hundreds of people on social media trended the hashtag #GoBackModi as the PM arrived in the state for laying the foundation stone for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Thoppur.