New Delhi: There's nothing like a feel good advertisement when you are down in the dumps. And no one needs it more right now than UPA-II. Faced with uncertainty, embarrassment and an election in the next one year, the government plans to bombard us with not-so-subtle reminders of what they did get right in the last nine years.
This is the Congress's Rs 180 crore ad blitz 'Bharat Nirman', written by Javed Akthar and filmed by Pradeep Sarkar. No ominous comparison to the BJP's 'India Shining' campaign please, insists the party.
Historically, smart tag lines have worked well for political parties - Jai Jawan Jai Kisan (Congress, 1965), Garibi Hatao (Congress, 1971), Abki Bari Atal Bihari (BJP, 1996). But there have been notable exceptions - the most disastrous of them all being the NDA's 'India Shining' campaign 10 years ago. Flashy and lopsided, it was dubbed as the worst poll strategy in the country's history, something that ultimately cost the BJP, the 2004 elections, and Rs 100 crore.
Then there was the Samajwadi Party's advertisement where Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan mouthed the ironical words, "UP mei dum hai kyunki jurm yahan kum hai". Despite what Amitabh Bachchan said, a state hit by lawlessness and crime voted out the Samajwadi Party in 2007....
more
09:20 PM, May 14, 2013
Ahmedabad: Amid talk about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's projection as BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Acharya Dharmendra on Sunday said he wanted "a true patriot" to occupy the country's top post after the next elections. "I want to see a true patriot becomes next Prime Minister ...I don't think Modi is a traitor...However, we have to see what happens ahead (aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya),"...
05:20 PM, Apr 28, 2013
Religious leaders in Haridwar on Friday endorsed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, giving more strength to his prime ministerial ambitions. ...
05:44 PM, Apr 26, 2013
A freak 18-vehicle pile-up in Mumbai left two people dead and six injured. ...
09:21 PM, Apr 12, 2013
New Delhi: Sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday indicated that top party leaders had spoken to Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav of ally Janata Dal (United) amidst reports that it will make a strong demand for the early projection of the next Prime Ministerial candidate of the National Democratic Alliance. The JD(U)'s antipathy to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is well-known and reports of him being projected...
09:07 PM, Apr 12, 2013
New Delhi: The Congress and the BJP are battling over Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's address to India Inc. While the Congress said that he has given people hope, the BJP said that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi offers much more to the people of India. Speaking to IBN18 Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Saredesai, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said that Rahul has got the implicit solution. "Rahul has understood the essential...
07:56 AM, Apr 05, 2013
Catch the day's top stories with Rajdeep Sardesai on India @ 9. ...
11:58 PM, Apr 04, 2013
Rahul Gandhi clearly expressed his disinterest in the race even as Narendra Modi said he was being urged by people to repay his debt to India. ...
11:52 PM, Apr 04, 2013
The battle for 2014 has intensified and despite the Congress playing down a Narendra Modi versus Rahul Gandhi contest, the stage may well be set for such a face-off. ...
11:20 PM, Apr 04, 2013
New Delhi: Congress on Thursday brushed aside comparison of Rahul Gandhi with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi saying only those interested in propping up the BJP leader indulged in such acts. On Gandhi's speech at the CII where he spoke about the need to bring the poor and the marginalised into the political processes, Congress spokesman PC Chacko said people heard what they have been trying to listen to for...
10:27 PM, Apr 04, 2013
New Delhi: It was a day rarely seen in Indian politics when top leaders of the country's main parties took to the stage in a bid to woo corporate India. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi pitched hard to India Inc at Confederation of Indian Industries in the national capital and unveiled his vision of inclusive development, seeking partnership with the corporate sector but made it abundantly clear that he was...
09:56 PM, Apr 04, 2013
BJP's 'Team 2014' has brought in Narendra Modi, Varun Gandhi and Amit Shah. But Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Arjun Munda are some of the prominent names left out of the party's parliamentary board. With general elections just about a year away, is Rajnath Singh steering the party on to the right path? Senior journalist Ashok Malik joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue. ...
05:26 PM, Apr 01, 2013
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday parried questions on whether he wanted to become the Prime Minister, saying he had never even dreamt of becoming the Chief Minister. "I have never dreamt of becoming someone in life. I have always tried to do something. Mostly people dream of becoming someone and die. I have never followed this. ...
07:55 AM, Mar 17, 2013
Training guns at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, RJD President Lalu Prasad on Saturday said he seems to be prime ministerial candidate of foreigners due to which America, UK and other Western nations were softening their approach towards him in recent days. "Narendra Modi seems a PM candidate of foreigners due to which America, UK and other Western countries are softening their approach towards him in recent days," Prasad said....
10:50 PM, Mar 09, 2013
It is not without reason that the BJP in recent times has been referred to as the 'Hindu Divided Family'. Impressed by the speech given ...
12:05 AM, Mar 08, 2013
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went on the offensive on Wednesday as he presented his reply to a debate in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President for his address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. ...
11:41 PM, Mar 06, 2013
Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that he was not interested in becoming the Prime Minister of the country. ...
09:49 PM, Mar 06, 2013
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went on the offensive on Wednesday as he presented his reply to a debate in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President for his address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. Singh, known for his quiet demeanour, unleashed scathing attacks on the BJP on all fronts. He did not spare Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi either, remarking, "jo garajte...
06:50 PM, Mar 06, 2013
Is the Budget 2013-14 drafted, keeping the 2014 general elections in mind? IBN7's Managing Editor Ashutosh shared his perspective in an interaction with IBNLive readers. ...
06:17 PM, Mar 01, 2013
BJP leaders have consistently maintained that party parliamentary board will decide on its PM candidate. However, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has made his intentions clear. He has shown a marked alacrity in seeking a role for himself in national politics. ...
11:11 PM, Feb 06, 2013
