New Delhi: Kerala Congress took it to X to criticize an advertisement for Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, aka Atal Setu, featuring actress Rashmika Mandanna, who praises the project. The Congress Party called the commercial an "ED-directed ad".
This was a day after Rashmika was trolled online for the promotional ad, The Free Press Journal reported.
Dear Rashmika Mandanna Ji,
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) May 17, 2024
The nation has seen paid ads and surrogate ads before. This is the first time we are seeing an ED-directed ad. It came out well. Good job!
We noticed that the Atal Setu appears practically empty from your ad. Being from Kerala, we initially thought… pic.twitter.com/7pciuNRPVT
The X post by Kerala Congress wrote, "Dear Rashmika Mandanna Ji, The nation has seen paid ads and surrogate ads before. This is the first time we have seen an ED-directed ad. It came out well. Good job! We noticed that the Atal Setu appears practically empty from your ad. Being from Kerala, we initially thought that Mumbai had such low traffic, so we checked with our friends in @INCMumbai. They informed us that the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra-Worli Sea Link has much higher traffic and shared a video for reference. Take a look at this video."
There were mixed reactions from netizens to the post, with some supporting it and others opposing it. They even asked why the Congress in Kerala was bothered about the development of Maharashtra. Some alleged that Congress is trying to take credit for the Sea-link, which was initiated and executed by the BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who was the PWD Minister of Maharashtra when the project was built.
A user @IndusFederalist said, "The Bandra Worli Sea Link was also initiated by a BJP/ NDA government. Nitin Gadkari was the PWD minister of Maharashtra then. But why is INC Kerala getting so worked up about infrastructure in Maharashtra?"