Indian National Congress (INC) finally launched the widely anticipated election campaign based on Jai Ho song from the hit Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.
Using A.R. Rahman’s Oscar-winning song ‘Jai Ho’ as its clarion call, the Congress has come out with three 60-second films that seek to show the party leading its multitudes to progress. From its 2004 slogan of ‘Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath,’ the party has moved on to ‘Aam aadmi ke badte kadam; har kadam par bharat buland.’ Loosely translated, it would mean the common man marches ahead and every step he takes makes India stronger. Unveiling a part of the campaign that is already being aired on radio and television, chairman of the party’s publicity committee Digvijay Singh sought to draw a distinction between the Congress publicity campaign and the 2004 India Shining showcase of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“The difference between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party is that we have been consistently working for the socio-economic development of the common man.” Refusing to subscribe to the view that the ‘Jai Ho’ campaign was a toned down version of ‘India Shining,’ he said: “We are only realistically portraying what is happening.” [Join Congress]
Watch the three 60 second spots:
Leaders
Chandrayan
Schemes
Anticipating that Muslims have deserted them for regional parties, Congress has come up with the slogan with Hindu religous overtones.
Jai Ho of who?
Sonia or Rahul??
If congress wants to move ahead, it has to shed its dynastic politics. The market capitalisation of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is not more than 150 seats. If they want to increase their tally, they have to shore up local, regional state level leaders who can take up one to one with the BJP’s state level leaders or Regional Party Bosses.
Otherwise, it will be jai ho for others.
I hate to see that fake smile and humility on the face of Dr.Manmohan Singh. After wasting 5 years, he looks like a perfect banker who got his commission and abandoned the clients. This must be the end of congress. NEVER again.
Jai Ho for creating conditions such that movies like Slum Dog can be based in India – poverty, anarchy etc etc.
Its interesting to see how a combination of accomodating different votebanks allows slums to develop and grow – hallmarks of Congress policy of Gareebi badao
Sudie#
I remember your comments on uplifting Muslims as a group or how can the remnants of Mughals be helped. Where from the creation of ‘Ghareeb’ attributed to the Congress. Please remember that I despise the Congress party but you cannot be let off hook ala Modi which conforms to the idea of having and eating the cake simultaneously. Arent the affluents of cities and the readiness of slum dwelers more responsible for the plight they are? If politicians are to be blamed for all the ills of India why is the corporate courting them? Lastly, if you think all the ‘Ghurba’ being Muslims or majority of them, thanks for showing the continues contempt for them.
Poverty and anarchy are better than arson, genocide and hatred.
All this happened in Gujarat 2002. No prizes for guessing the party that created conditions for it to happen.
Milind,
“All this happened in Gujarat 2002. No prizes for guessing the party that created conditions for it to happen.”
I think we cant stuck to gujarat forever. Even muslims are trying to forget it as an bad dream, I feel. But we have to keep in mind that democracy is not all about giving votes. Democracy means change also.
We cant stick to one party which is dependent upon one family for our survival. It will be like reenacting Mughal dynasty. We have to constantly experiment till we find a viable solution.
If you look at last so many elections, all of them have signalled change and have voted for coilations. Since 1967, even congress under heavyweights like Indira and Rajiv could not win two consecutive terms. The mandate was always for change and coilations.
Though I am not a BJP supporter(nor I am a congressman), but the mood of the nation appears to be another coilation with new partners. People are just fed up of congress as well as bjp.
Sanjay,
The BJP are pastmasters at propoganda and disinformation. The latest is that the Muslims are happy with Narendra Modi for the economic progress he has brought, and are willing to let bygones be bygones.
This is not true. A few stooges do not reflect the opinion of an entire community. Till the culprits are brought to book, the matter will not be resolved. As a democratic country that upholds human rights and is avowedly secular, the guilty cannot go unpunished.
@Milind
Every Party had been communal once. Gujarat’s muslims and muslim countries worldwide have moved forward. When will you?
I think we Indians just take ourselves too seriously and try to get ourselves associated with some “Grand” think just to at times hide our own complexes. And then some one makes Slumdog and we go ballistic.
I think we should just focus on minding our own business, look to the future and take things cool or we will just wallow in self misery. Watching Dev D was a welcome relief, will highly recommend……
Nice Anand,
Gujarat’s Muslims have moved forward in terms of progress. Not in terms of forgetting what was done to them. Nice to know that you acknowledge that Muslim countries have moved ahead. Which means Muslim bashing will not happen.
I have moved ahead of the syndrome of trying to needle individuals instead of discussing the merit of their arguments.
Milind,
I am not saying that Muslims or the country has forgotten Gujarat. No, not like that.
What I want to say is that muslims(as far as I understand or know) are also trying to look beyond Gujarat now.
Based upon my first experience with those muslims I personally know, I can tell you that in 2004 elections they were fiercely against NDA i.e. BJP as well as its allies.
This time around, they are definitely not with the BJP but are not against its present or former allies. The allies will not be punsihed again for gujarat by muslims or the UPA or its allies will not be rewarded for Gujarat, which they were in 2004.
And one thing I can tell you, again with my first hand experience that the overall conditions of muslims in BJP ruled states MP, Gujarat, Uttrakhand etc. is better than the states like UP, Bihar or even Delhi etc. And Muslims must be observing that.
Sanjay,
It is not a question of the BJP rule. Historically, states like MP and Gujarat have been much more peaceful than states like UP and Bihar.
UP and Bihar will need huge efforts before they can be brought anywhere close to these two.
That being said, BJP is finding it difficult to maintain the level of voter confidence in states ruled by it, with the exception of Gujarat.
Move on guys, its the 21st century. Song and dance and idealogical monologues should make you think critically where the merit of the candidate is. What are their plans, policies, what do they offer? Raise the bar for selecting the candidates. For song and dance we have Bollywood.
Shama,
Are you referring to “Jai Ho” being used by the Congress?
Today, Muslims feel alienated from the Congress, because they feel the Congress is not sympathetic to them. This is a malicious propoganda that the BJP has used to split and hence dilute the Muslim vote.
If we indeed vote in this manner, we will back a losing horse, i.e. the 3rd front, and the BJP will make huge gains.
@Milind Kher
“Today, Muslims feel alienated from the Congress, because they feel the Congress is not sympathetic to them. This is a malicious propoganda that the BJP has used to split and hence dilute the Muslim vote.”
Political Parties are meant to be malicious, be it Congress or BJP. And indeed, Congress is not sympathetic to Muslims, no party is, in the same way, the BJP does not really care what happens to Hindus.
I am sure that BJP and Congress have done their part of malicious stuff in the past and will continue to damage each others ‘reputation’.
Moreover, it is not as if BJP is bad (therefore communal) and Congree isn’t (hence it is secular)- its just that BJP found communalism to work for themselves at one point of time – and they could not fathom that this strategy does not work for an extended period of time. Eventually they will figure out and try to find another USP – something that differentiates them from Congress.
The Congress is a more experienced party, and have had their share of communalism .. failed at it.
So yes, voting for BJP, would mean that they would again go on the rhetoric for temple building, hate mongering – but then do not fool yourself and others into thinking that you are choosing good over evil by voting for congress.. you are just choosing the lesser evil..
Ultimately, the only party that can provide a really stable rule is the Congress.
If the BJP comes in, there is a very real danger of a lot of rioting and violence. The last thing we need is a civil war on our hands.
@Milind,
I agree with you.
Look at the records, Mayawati got scot free in Taj Coridor scam, Mulayam Singh Yadav got scot free in disappropriate scam, Lalu Prasad Yadav got acquitted in Fodder scam and even the judge who got Lalu acquitted was made CJI of India and now greatest culprit Jagdish Tytler got acquitted. All in stable Congress Raj… Jai Ho.
Probably the election will be a repetition of the 2004, with congress having same number. It will try to form the government with the assistance of communist and regional party.