BJP pulls advertisements that triggered jokes on social media

The BJP has withdrawn a series of advertisements rhetorically asking "Kuthe neun thevlay Maharashtra maajha? (Where have you taken my Maharashtra?)" that attracted severe criticism from various quarters.

BJP's ridiculous ad campaign"Kuthe nevun thevla Mah maza.." hello 1996-99 your party contributed to it :D

— Neetakolhatkar (@neetakolhatkar) October 9, 2014

#FekuFlops When was he a hit? spending 500 crores for ad campaign, anyone can fool Indians! Congress= BJP

— Raghav Gakhar (@Spread_Revolt) October 7, 2014

"The ads have been dropped, but that is a scheduled action and has nothing to do with criticism or ridicule they attracted," Maharashtra state BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye told PTI here today.

"The advertisements highlight misdeeds of the corrupt Congress-NCP regime in Maharashtra during the last 15 years. The next phase of our advertisements will be about a positive side, depicting what the BJP intends to do after coming to power in Maharashtra," Upadhye said.

The BJP advertisements had attracted a wave of responses, ranging from poems to jokes to photographs, and are a rage on social media.

Around two weeks ago, television and radio advertisements were released by the BJP, with actors portraying people from various areas in Maharashtra voicing grievances about the state of roads and water supply. After the campaign began, jokes began circulating on WhatsApp and Twitter.

A WhatsApp message in Marathi which did the rounds this week, when translated, says, "Do not stand in Gujarat and ask where Maharashtra is. Stand on the Sahyadri mountains and then you will see it. Do not eat dhoklas (Gujarati delicacy) and ask where Maharashtra is."

A few active members on social media circulated a map of India, highlighting Maharashtra in red colour, with a red caption which says, "Ithey thevlay Maharashtra maajha. Parat vicharu nako (This is where Maharashtra is. Don't ask again.)"