Contrast styles in Karnataka campaign

If Gujarat Chief Minister Nardenra Modi had created ripples all around in Bangalore on 28^th April, then his today’s speech at Managalore and Dharwad was even more lethal and awe-inspiring.  Modi was at his acerbic best today on UPA Government’s fragile and lop-sides foreign policy initiatives. He also took a dig at Congress President Rahul Gandhi by calling him “ Mr Golden Spoon”.

Speaking in Mangalore  rally today , Modi said, “This Mr Golden Spoon says he follows the principals of Mahatma Gandhi. Does this Mr Golden Spoon know that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to dismantle the Congress party,” It was in the context of Rahul Gandhi’s public statement in April where he had said he was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

Modi also lampooned Rahul Gandhi saying “Can Mr Golden Spoon tell us when will Congress be dismantled? We are in a hurry” .

There is no doubt that Modi and his team have been meticulous in their home work and picked up those set of issues which touch a common man.  Modi has been equally effective in carrying his message across in every public meeting.

No one in the Congress camp has been as powerful and equally effective in countering him in the same style in Hindi even as there are so many “commanders” and Chieftains. Right from AICC Media Chairman  Janardan Dwivedi to Information Minister Manish Tewari, everyone has tried to maul Modi at every given opportunity but could not create that impact of extempore speech that Modi has been delivering during last two years.

In fact, the Congress party could have done a carpet bombing by the battery of its leaders through “high voltage” campaigns and speeches all across karnataka as there was a plethora of issues to attack BJP on. Right from the Gandhis to all other senior leaders, everyone has been just talking how BJP had betrayed the trust of the people of Karnataka and looted its resources. But none of the leaders have been able to pin down the BJP government by pin-pointing on specific issues in details in a lay man’s language.

Instead of that, most of the paratroopers from Delhi have preferred to hold ‘ press Conference’ at KPCC office or some Star Hotel and give sound “byte” to media without realizing that the voters and the rural public still love  rabble-trousers and tail-blazers. The rural public still loves to see those leaders who could create that impact by touching upon those issues and using those idioms and phrases that connect them to him.

The Congress party War Room warriors and strategists sitting in their Ali Askar Road office were neither able to understand this reality nor they tried to make sincere efforts to seriously analyze  what the voters of karnataka wanted Congress leaders to impress them with.

In contrast, even Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy have been able to move and swing the crowd with their aggressive campaign.  The  electoral history of India has been dependent more on the’ perception” and at the end of the day, it is that sense of perception, created by whatever means, which goads and guides  a large number of floating voters to put their weight behind.

In this area, the BJP appears to be far more” prepared and progressive’ in its poll management. It has been able to put up a strong face despite knowing the fact that the chips are down. Modi has by now acquired the status of “super star campaigner” in the BJP echelon. But even the speech of former Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda made a lot of sense and was straight from the heart.

In contrast, Congress Vice president Rahul Gandhi was expected to take karnataka by storm and he could have easily smashed the opposition with his personal charm and rattling out facts and figures on the bad governance in karnataka during the last 5 years of BJP rule. But everywhere, he adopted “shoot and scoot policy.” According to many eyewitnesses, he hardly spoke for even 25 minutes at a venue and try to connect with the people in the crowd.

Moreover, he has often been saddled with the task of settling out issues and serious differences among Congress leaders themselves right in the public glare. The latest spectacle was seen at Mandya two days ago where the tantrums of both SM Krishna and  film Star Ambarish was getting to his nerves and yet he could  hardly do anything to prevent them from creating a scene out of that..

Yet another Congress leader who is known for his hard hitting words to the extent of being extremely crude and curt is CLP leader Sidharamaih. His speeches have been good at times in the past. In this assembly poll campaign however, he has adopted the   art of hitting his opponents with a “ big stick” and calling them names in “ Eka vachana”- something that kannadigas would not like.

KJP Supremo, BS Yeddiyurappa has his own style of sabre-rattling and at times he goes hyper. But he too has evolved a distinct style of campaign wherein he is able to drive home his point.

At the end of the day, the contrasting style of campaign by big leaders of various political parties have shown that sober words and careful articulation of facts and issues still connects the audience and in that respect, Narendra Modi’s campaign in Mangalore and Dharwad today would be   compared with Congress Presidents speeches both in Gulbarga and Bangalore.

In Public perception however, Modi certainly takes the cake for his  hard hitting jibes at the Centre and the Prime Minister in particular. Now the BJP supporters have got yet another epithet for Congress Vice President as “ Mr Golden Spoon” and extending “ pappu and feku” fight even further. It remains to be seen what reply comes from the Congress party wizards against Modi in the coming days. (Posted on May 2, 2013 @ 5.37pm)

(Ajay Jha is a Commentator and Independent Writer and Analyst on Politics, security and Economy of South And West Asia. His email id is: Ajay N Jha <ajayjha30@gmail.com>)