Kolkata: Indian Express, in its Sunday edition, published an advertisement of the Uttar Pradesh government which has the title, Transforming Uttar Pradesh under Yogi Adityanath.
But the picture used in the ad, especially that of the flyover is of Kolkata’s Maa Flyover. Significantly, a yellow taxi is also visible plying on the flyover. The yellow colour taxi is probably only run in Bengal and no other parts of India.
The blunder has been pointed out by NDTV’s journalist Alok Pandey, who covers UP.
Alok tweeted, “Dear @myogiadityanath Ji, whoever approved these images, please do tell them the flyover appears to be from Kolkata-the Maa Flyover. I can also spot a yellow taxi. And those tall buildings are the JW Marriot, also in Kolkata and by the same flyover if I am not mistaken (sic).”
The mistake is not simple because of several reasons Bengal and Uttar Pradesh leaders remain at loggerheads. So, using Bengal’s picture, a sign of development in Kolkata, as that of Uttar Pradesh, may cause embarrassment for UP CM Adityanath, who often makes direct attacks on chief minister Mamata Banerjee for lack of development in Bengal.
Rohini Singh, another journalist, who reports and tweets about political developments in UP wrote: “Sadke Bengal Ki, Factory America Ki, Per Vikas UP Ka (Roads belong to Bengal, factories belong to America, but it is a development of UP).”
Rohini later did several tweets in relation to it.
Commenting on one of the tweets of Rohini, Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of Trinamul Congress said, “Transforming UP for @myogiadityanath means stealing images from infrastructure seen in Bengal under @MamataOfficial‘s leadership and using them as his own!”
“Looks like the ‘DOUBLE ENGINE MODEL’ has MISERABLY FAILED in BJP’s strongest state and now stands EXPOSED for all! (sic).”
While Jawhar Sircar, TMC’s Rajya MP told eNewsroom on the ad, “Imitation is the best form of flattery.”
The advertisement has become Sunday topic for Twitteratis.
UP’s former IAS officer Surya Pratap Singh tweeted, Ram Naam Japna, Paraya Maal Apna. A rough translation of it is, recite the name of Ram and own others’ properties.
