Pages

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Ahead of 2014 polls, Rahul Gandhi ropes in Rajiv’s Media Man

Rahul Gandhi Speech
Ahead of 2014 polls, Rahul Gandhi ropes in Rajiv’s Media Man
NEW DELHI: Ahead of parliamentary elections, Congress has changed tack on its media strategy. It is no longer relying solely on senior leaders for briefing and training its spokespersons.

On party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s insistence, the party has brought in media strategists to provide professional inputs at brainstorming sessions. Apart from daily morning discussions on political issues, these strategists have been sharing the industry’s point of view on important economic issues.

The induction of professionals into the party’s media strategising has seen the comeback of Rajiv Desai, founder of I-PAN public relations agency, who used to advise exprime minister Rajiv Gandhi on media matters during parliamentary elections.

Desai had gained considerable influence in Congress and found a place in the party’s media committees headed by Pranab Mukherjee, Shivraj Patil, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni. But gradually he fell out of favour with the Congress high command.

Over the past two months though, Desai has been a regular in the communication department sessions, giving feedback on articles on new media, performance of party’s spokespersons in news briefings at Congress headquarters and economic issues, a person familiar with the matter said. The strategist has won Gandhi’s trust especially because of his adeptness at new media and social networking sites.

Rahul Gandhi Leader
AP Parigi, a well-known telecom, media and entertainment industry professional, is also helping the party in its media strategy. The strategists have been providing an invaluable outsider’s perspective on complex issues such as projecting a PM candidate and economic issues such as sharp depreciation of the rupee.

“It is like opening a new window for exchange of views,” said a senior Congress leader. “In the party there is a certain way of looking at things. When we are involved in a project we look at it in a unidimensional way, the way we have been dealing with it for years. Professional inputs from media strategists help us in looking at issues differently.”

These strategists have brought about a complete change in the way the party’s communication department is functioning. Earlier, Congress spokespersons used to have just a formal briefing with the general secretary in-charge minutes before the press conference at party headquarters.

In case of major political issues, these briefings would take place slightly earlier in the day and the party would specify its stance to the spokespersons. Now, a written brief is prepared after scanning the newspapers.

The party is waking up to the reality of its leaders shooting off their mouths. A gag order has, therefore, been issued and only spokespersons and TV panelists are allowed to participate in debates.

Even so, two party members have been assigned to draw up a list of panelists for each channel every day. “A proper chart is drawn up. So you don’t send an Andhra specialist to speak on Muzaffarnagar riots; you send a Union minister from UP,” said a leader involved in media planning.

Click to know more:- http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-nation

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Sonia Gandhi unwell, Rahul overwhelmed, require Priyanka, said Congress hoardings

Rahul Gandhi Congress
Rahul Gandhi LeaderLucknow: The Indian National Congress in Uttar Pradesh has been humiliated by a sprinkling of hoardings that proclaim party president Sonia Gandhi is unwell, and urge her girl Priyanka to run for office from the body electorate of Phoolpur, once spoke to by her extraordinary granddad and previous Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The hoardings that surfaced in the rich Civil Lines zone of Lucknow on Tuesday have been pulled down.

They alluded to Mrs Gandhi, who flies out sporadically to the Us for therapeutic check-ups, her child Rahul Gadhi who is Congress Vice-President and is heading the gathering's battle for the national decisions, and Priyanka, who has said in the past that she will crusade for the gathering however won't challenge races.

The content on the hoardings pronounces: "Maiya ab Rahti Beemar, Bhaiya par badh gaya bhaar, Priyanka Phoolpur se bano ummedwaar, party ka karo prachaar, Congress ki sarkaar banao teesri baar (Mother is regularly sick now, sibling (Rahul Gandhi) is over loaded, Priyanka turn into the competitor from Phoolpur and crusade for the gathering, help the Congress get elected for the third time).

Mrs Gandhi, 66, experienced surgery in the United States for an undisclosed affliction in August 2011. Her gathering has not affirmed media reports that she was treated for growth at New York's Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  She last ventured out to the Us for a medicinal weigh up in September.

Congress sources say that in Lucknow, area secretary Haseeb Ahmad and party guide Shreesh Chandra Dubey have been asked to demonstrate for what good reason they ran to town with the disputable hoardings.