Don't violate party line, Rahul tells spokespersons

Ahead of the 2014 general elections, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asked party spokespersons across the country to speak in one voice, and follow the official line, party sources said.

Rahul Gandhi, who addressed the two-day all-India communication workshop at which around 300 party spokespersons and media panellists were present, urged them to realise the power of truth and said they should be polite but firm during TV debates, and not stoop to the levels of their counterparts.

Highlighting the importance of social media, Gandhi also asked the spokespersons to be alert to it. The United Progressive Alliance's key social welfare initiative, the food security ordinance, topped the agenda on the first day of the workshop.

Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution K.V. Thomas and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh briefed the gathering about the food ordinance, which aims to provide subsidised food grain to around 67 percent of India's 1.2 billion people.

Congress MP Deepender Hooda's team educated the spokespersons on the effective use of social media to put across their views.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram briefed the audience on the state of the Indian economy and the future ahead, with a comparison of the growth achieved in the past nine years under the governance of the United Progressive Alliance, with the performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in 1998-2004.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma lectured the gathering on the positive impact of the manufacturing policy and recent moves to attract more foreign funds.

On Tuesday, Congress MP and spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit will train the gathering in research methodologies, followed by dos and don'ts on TV by Sanjay Jha.

Minister Of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor will talk about the communication challenges in the present scenario and Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari will offer tips on how to prepare for an effective debate.

The training session will end with group discussions for state representatives and members of the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India.