Rahul adopts photoshop poll ploy

A million stories from the grassroots to depict tangible damage done by the Modi Sarkar will form part of the campaign.
Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: After his recent foreign jaunt, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is exploring the joys of Photoshop. He thinks a “photo mosaic on an India map using one crore photos and videos of peoples’ sufferings due to the anti-people policies of Modi Sarkar” will give his party the edge in the upcoming Assembly elections after demonetisation.

According to documents accessed by The Sunday Standard, the Congress has asked “each party worker to take at least 4-5 photos and videos which capture the sufferings of people in their local areas because of the Central government’s anti-people policies”.

A million of stories from the grassroots to depict tangible damage done by the Modi Sarkar will form part of the visual. The deadline for the exercise is February 20.

The Congress party’s public meetings at the grassroots level start next week in the poll-bound states. A month-long campaign will cover all the Assembly constituencies and provide an outlet for people looking to express their anguish against the BJP.

The Congress has started a month-long campaign covering all Assembly constituencies and providing an outlet for people wanting to express their anguish against the BJP, after demonetisation.

Rahul Gandhi has been very vocal
against demonetisation

Preceding this, anti-DeMo strategic sessions will be held, where selected state leaders will train at least over 1,000 workers each. In turn, each worker will train other grassroots workers to hold anti-government campaigns at the block level. The top leadership’s message is clear: “Define roles and responsibilities for all party workers who will mobilise general public, supporters and affected communities”. Congress leaders will also “hold state-level conclaves between January 20-25 to brief party workers across the states about the objectives of Jan Vedna Abhiyan and set clear roles and responsibilities for everyone,” the documents explained.

The Abhiyan was launched at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi last week.

The campaign will be high on technology and eye-catching visuals, accompanied by the slogan “Modi ji ho Pesh, Sankat me hai Desh” (Modi must appear and explain before the country, which is in agony).
“An empty throne to be kept in each meeting to show an absent Modi and a person wearing a Modi mask will stand on the podium where affected people will speak of their sufferings,” the Congress’s plan reveals.

The party is asking the government to deposit `25,000 in the account of at least one woman belonging to each BPL family as compensation for suffering caused to women by demonetisation. It is also demanding that the number of guaranteed workdays in MNREGS be raised and wages to be doubled for a year.

The Grand Old Party’s new strategy is to cash in on public sympathy over deaths that were reportedly caused by note bandi. Congress leaders believe the state polls will be a referendum on the Modi government’s performance and their outcome will define people’s perception of the currency ban. They are leaving no stone unturned.

“If we manage to strike an alliance with the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, it would pose a tough challenge for Modi in a multi-cornered electoral battle. Pollsters recently gave BJP the lead in Uttar Pradesh, which we think is not the correct forecast owing to the ground reality after demonetisation,” said a senior Congress leader.

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