Congress assembles media brigade for TV battles ahead

With the countdown having begun for the elections, the Congress is getting battle ready - especially for television debates that are watched by millions around the country and are seen to influence the public mind to a considerable extent.

It has armed itself with a 52-strong media team - primarily comprising telegenic, articulate and knowledgeable young people who believe in its ideology -who have honed their speaking skills with ability for ready repartee and can project and defend the party on TV news channel debates ahead of the assembly elections later this year and the 2014 general elections.

These prospective "spokespersons" have their task cut out - to take on the opposition parties and list out the Congress party's achievements on debates and discussions at prime news hour. The ruling party organised a five-day workshop Sep 15-19 where a team of journalists, professors and various domain experts trained the team of 52, according to party sourcess.

"A total of 350 party workers were called from party units of various states in Delhi in August, of whom 52 were selected for the workshop at the Congress War Room office," a party source told IANS, not wishing to be identified as he was not a designated party spokesperson.

The workshop was conducted under the watchful eyes of All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of media, Ajay Maken, a former central minister who was appointed to the post a few months ago to give an edge to the party's media communications.

During the workshop - believed to be the brainchild of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi - the selected candidates polished their skills in dealing with the media. Senior journalists trained the selected members on fielding and wriggling out of uncomfortable questions from the media. They were also taught the tricks of polemics on TV news channels.

"Mock discussions were held where candidates would be allotted three minutes each on a given topic. The observers would monitor them and provide feedback," another party source told IANS.

Impromptu debates and extempore speeches were also part of the workshop, which was personally monitored by Rahul Gandhi.

"Rahul-ji had come one day and sat with the participants. He saw them discussing and giving extempore speeches," said another source.

As youth comprise over half of India's population, the team was also trained to be savvy in the social media, with Twitter and Facebook being hugely popular among the young.

"We also popularise Congress schemes through these platforms," a party official said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political adviser Ahmed Patel also visited the workshop.

As part of the exercise, the candidates were also educated about the Congress-led United Progress Alliance government's flagship schemes like the Food Security Bill, the Land Acquisition Bill and the pension scheme so that they can publicise them.

"Professors and experts on various subjects interacted with us. We are reading up on several issues from the food bill to the land bill. We have also been taught how to puncture the arguments of the opposition," one of the participants told IANS requesting anonymity.

Mired in allegations of corruption and mis-governance, the party plans to bank heavily on these populist welfare measures to seek a third term at the centre in the general elections in 2014.

Assembly polls are due in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram some time in November.

While four people in the workshop were from Delhi, the rest of the participants were from other state units.

(Gaurav Sharma can be contacted at rahul.s@ians.in)