Congress' big media bluff

The Congress party has never been in lacking of ideas to sort of portray themselves as the champions of the poor. Particularly when there are elections around the corner. This time it is a new drama going on in the name of 'austerity'.

And once again they have been able to catch the right fish that helps them manipulate the people of the country: the spineless media.

Firstly it was decided that all the central ministers and tall Congress leaders and MPs should observe austerity (austere meaning no ornamentation) measures in a time when the country is facing a slow down particularly with the prevailing drought conditions across the country.

Then Pranab Mukherjee asks SM Krishna and Shashi Tharoor to vacate their five star hotel rooms although they were paying from their own pockets, which Tharoor himself called 'frankly ridiculous'. They do oblige.

Then Pranab asks ministers and mps to travel economy class on flights to which there were objections from ministerial colleagues. Pranab relents and says its only an advisory but not mandatory and that its only a request.

Then Sonia travels economy class to Mumbai making sure she received full media attention. They know how to work the media. Don't they? But BJP leaders estimate that atleast Rs. 50,000 were spent on tickets and the whole thing was publicity sake.

Then Pranab travels economy to Kolkota. Food for media again.

Now Rahul Baba travels by train from Delhi to Ludhiana in chair car prompting headlines like this. At this point media jumped out of the chair reporting on its favorite son of the country. Some unruly kids pelted stones at the train but no body was injured. I am sure someday they will use this and say "Rahul risked his life and travelled by train"

But all his austerity claims stand busted after The Hindu in a report today reveals that his 3-day trip to Tamilnadu cost more than Rs. 1 Crore which is way beyond what all the ministers would have spent flying business class for at least a month.

Above all this is not the first time Sonia has asked her party members and ministers to shun lavish life styles. The last season when she gave a call for similar measure was in 2005. Looks like the season has come again.

So much to divert the attention of the nation in a time of extreme drought and with election around the corner in the key states like Maharashtra and Haryana. Its not even cheap publicity, its FREE publicity.

Wake up media fools. They are using you.