The Congress on Tuesday sought to scotch media speculations about early polls following the Government’s launch of its audio visual campaign ‘Glimpses of the Indian story’ highlighting the achievements of the UPA regime.
Information & Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said that it was just a public information campaign and there is nothing else to it. He asserted that the Government is one year way from elections. It is planning to celebrate its 9th anniversary, he pointed out and said that through the audio visual campaign his ministry was just fulfilling its responsibility to publicise the Government programmes and achievements made by it. It has got nothing to do with the elections, he clarified.
Congress sources said that launching the publicity campaign was part of the party’s new strategy that was decided at the Jaipur Chintan Shivir. The Congress had decided at that time that candidate selection and publicity programme for the election should be started much earlier.
“Even the Opposition BJP is not demanding early polls; it is just the media which has been rife with such speculations. The polls will be held on schedule,” they said.
Meanwhile, the preparations are on for celebrating the 9th anniversary of the UPA Government on May 22. This time the Government is planning to launch not only the performance report card of the UPA during the past one year but another report enumerating its achievements during the entire 9 years of its rule. The two reports are seen as a move to offset the negative image of the Government.
Sources, however, vehemently denied such suggestions. They said that no other party or government in any democracy present their annual report card to the people. “It is just the UPA Government which does it. And what is wrong if the report card of entire 9 years of UPA rule is presented,” they countered.