Jaitley lectures partymen on poll campaign in MP

It's an insight rarely granted to the media, an insight into how an election campaign is spun. For a while today, the BJP lifted the curtain...

It’s an insight rarely granted to the media, an insight into how an election campaign is spun. For a while today, the BJP lifted the curtain as current spin-doctor-in-chief for Madhya Pradesh and Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Jaitley gave his own take on Gujarat and MP.

He started with an example of how ‘‘rude, arrogant’’ Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was spun into a ‘‘clean’’ saviour for the majority and on MP where now for the BJP’s anti-incumbency based on Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s failure on developmental issues is the key to how diversionary tactics ranging from egg in the cake to the bachelor-hood of the Prime Minister and the President must not be graced with a reply.

The occasion was the conclusion of a two-day workshop for media cell in-charges from every district in MP. The topics in the workshop ranged from how press notes are to be framed to how television interviews and bites are to be given, including tips on the clothes to be worn. All in preparation for June 1 when BJP media cells in every district are set to become active.

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Jaitley, speaking at the conclusion of the session, first drove home a few basic principles — do not get into a personal spat with media; keep comments terse, this is the era of one-liners, people remember Abe Lincoln’s ‘‘of the people, by the people, for the people’’ or Deputy PM L.K. Advani’s ‘‘you were asked to bend, you chose to crawl’’, but lengthy arguments do not help and even when faced with a hostile media keep your agenda uppermost in mind, chose your battleground.

This bit of advice brought in the first mention of MP, where it seemed apparent from every reference of Jaitley’s that the shadow of Singh’s own art of ‘‘management’’ continues to trouble the party. ‘‘In MP our focus is the lack of development over the past ten years of this government. Whatever the question, that is where the answer should lead. If you are asked about the cake, your answer should be that the cake is not an electoral issue….If you are asked about the President or the Prime Minister’s bachelor status (this was in reference to a report that in Uma Bharti’s home ground, Singh yesterday said the drought was a result of people voting unmarried leaders to power and they should guard against this in the future), you must say this is how Singh is diverting attention from developmental issues.’’

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