From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: In a signal that out-of-turn remarks will not be tolerated, Rahul Gandhi on Monday warned that those who go beyond the party line will face action.
“Spokespersons and panelists may have their individual views, but as party pokespersons and panelists you have to be within party line. We cannot go beyond party ideology. Those who go beyond will be noticed and action will be taken,” Gandhi said. The Congress vice-president said these words while inaugurating a workshop of party spokespersons and panelists at a time when Lok Sabha elections are less than a year away.
Gandhi emphasised on the need to tone up the party’s communication strategy and to institutionalise a framework for it in all states ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress vice president said the projection of party’s image will automatically boost personal image of individual and asked leaders to focus on “positive” politics.
Gandhi asked party leaders to speak in one voice and remain united. He also told them not to focus on projecting themselves as individuals but stay focused on projecting the party.
He said that the opposition’s propaganda against the government needs to be “tackled”.
Noting that the workshop will provide an opportunity for new talent to come up, Gandhi advised youngsters to learn from elders’ experience. “We have to build new India,” he said.
The two-day workshop is some sort of a talent hunt for picking up new spokespersons for the party at the national and state level.
Five persons from Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) — Manbor Warjri , James S lyngdoh, Sanjay Das (all general secretaries) and Szarita Laitphlang, secretary and Richard Marak, general secretary MPYC are attending the workshop.
The workshop is a corollary to the party’s plan to create the “mirror images” in all states of the Communication Department that had been set up at the AICC with separate wings for electronic, print and social media. The interaction will also provide an opportunity to the party leadership to identify and pick up talent from states to tone up its media machinery.
The workshop will also be addressed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari and Food Minister K V Thomas. There will be a session exclusively on the food security issue. (With inputs from PTI)