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Congress steps to become media savvy

By Our Staff Correspondent

SHIMLA, APRIL 2. The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee is planning a media workshop for all newly appointed District Congress Committee spokespersons. According to a release from the PCC office here, resource persons with sufficient media handling experience would come from Delhi and along with experts from the local university interact with the Congress leaders.

The list of resource persons includes AICC spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP from the State, Anand Sharma, and Dr. Prabha Thakur from Delhi and a couple of teachers from the Journalism and Mass Communication Department of the Himachal Pradesh University.

Due to massive infighting between the two factions of Congress here the party looks totally disorganised in the campaign as well as the regular media operations. Those belonging to the faction led by the Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, are touring the State, though untiringly yet without any co-ordination with the State PCC. No briefings, no programmes, no reactions of the rallies and road shows are coming to the state headquarters in any form.

On the other hand despite the disputes, the State BJP looks quite upbeat and organised as far as its hold on the media is concerned. A number of youngsters, mainly BJYM and ABVP activists, have already received two rounds of professional "media handling training" from the top central party spin doctors like Pramod Mahajan and Arun Jaitley.

The BJP's State unit office, though lying slightly out of the main town, is well equipped with "hi-tech" facilities. The professionally written press releases signed by a `Karyala Pramukh' reach the electronic and print media offices well on time. Regular and formal Press conferences are also preferred by the party leaders from time to time even in this small and politically "not so important State".

The State Congress office on the other hand is mainly deserted despite being in the heart of the city on the fashionable Mall Road. The members of the Chief Minister's camp too are rarely visible here.

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