As a political slugfest erupted over India's surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control, Shiv Sena on Wednesday put up a poster in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, Varanasi, portraying him as Lord Ram.
The poster also showed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as Ravana and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as Ravana's son Meghanada for demanding proof of the anti-terror operation.
The poster reads: 'We need another surgical strike by Modi to end a Ravana-like Pakistan and Meghanada-like Kejriwal, who is a Pakistani-supporter.'
Similar hoarding was seen on Tuesday in Meerut, put up by state Bharatiya Janata Party, congratulating the prime minister for the surgical strikes and warning Pakistan that 'we will keep on hitting you like this'.
The posters have been put up for the festival of Dusshehra.
Interestingly, the prime minister will attend the historic Aishbagh Ramlila in Lucknow on Dussehra next week, seen as yet another attempt to connect to the people of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
The prime minister will participate in the 'aarti' and then fire the symbolic arrow to burn the effigy of demon king Ravana.
Uttar Pradesh will go to polls next year.
Days after Indian Army's surgical strikes, all parties including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party are playing politics over it.
The opposition fear that it could burnish the BJP's image ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
Peeved at banners appearing in many UP cities depicting surgical strikes with the pictures of the prime minister and BJP's state leaders, the opposition has now decided to draw a distinction between the Indian army and the Modi government.
On Tuesday, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam courted controversy by calling the surgical strikes "fake", provoking stinging criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party even as his own party said it "totally dissociates" from his remarks.
"Congress doesn't agree with the statements made by Sanjay Nirupam, we have taken a serious note of it. The Congress fully trusts the Indian Army," Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said.
Kejriwal and Congress leader P Chidambaram also drew flak from Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for demanding proof of the surgical strike.
With patriotic sentiments running high amid soaring tensions with Pakistan, Union Minister Uma Bharti also said leaders who cast "doubt over the army's surgical strike should take Pakistani citizenship".
