The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : PROs rule the roost as politicians focus on publicity

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

PROs rule the roost as politicians focus on publicity

By S. Ramu

NALGONDA, APRIL 6. With election campaigning picking up momentum, seasoned politicians are focussing on publicity. They are engaging part-time public relations officers (PROs) to get maximum publicity for their door-to-door campaigns and street corner meetings. Those who already have a PR setup are toning it up to outsmart their opponents' political manoeuvres.

The main task of the PROs is to get more pictures of their bosses published, prompt reporters to write `positive news stories' about them and ensure a lion's share of television footage for their employers.

The local MP in the dissolved Lok Sabha and TDP candidate for the Nalgonda Assembly segment, Gutta Sukhender Reddy, recently appointed a journalist from Warangal as his PRO. Interestingly, the same scribe had taken care of publicity for Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy, who successfully fought the last Assembly elections and is seeking re-election this time. Later he left the services of Mr. Venkat Reddy and joined a Telugu daily in the neighbouring district. In the absence of a PR wing in the district TDP, he has been summoned by the MP's camp to bridge the gap between the MP and the media.

Alerted by Mr. Sukhender Reddy's move, Mr. Venkat Reddy swung into action and asked his staunch supporter, the Municipal Chairperson, Venkatanarayana Goud, to look out for a PRO. A former MLC's son is reportedly taking care of his publicity now.

Vangala Swami Goud, the then DCC president who crossed the floor hours before getting the TDP ticket for Miryalaguda Parliamentary constituency, also felt the urgent need for a PRO. As the local TDP leaders were giving him a cold shoulder, the BC leader requested a couple of reporters to select a `good PRO' for him for the fortnight. Finally, he managed to find someone.

The lecturer-turned-police-officer-turned politician, Poreddy Chandrasekhar Reddy, entrusted his PR responsibilities to a couple of handpicked persons. These PROs not only get wider publicity for their leaders by keeping the journalists in good spirits but also elicit feedback from them to make the campaign more effective. The PROs are being paid between Rs.7,000 - 10,000 for 15 days and leaders are reportedly assuring them of employing them permanently, if they sail through the elections.

While the Congress leaders -- S. Jaipal Reddy, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodar Reddy and Purushottam Reddy -- are relying on aids to deal with press-related matters, the TDP leaders, Mothkupally Narasimhulu and Aakarapu Sudarshan, prefer to be in direct touch with the reporters. The Minister, Uma Madhava Reddy, is being guided by a trusted PR and a couple of reporters who were close to her late husband, Madhava Reddy.

Amongst other political parties in the district, the BJP has a solid PR system. With active support from the frontal organisations, the CPI (M) leaders are also maintaining rapport with the press.

The parties that do not bother about publicity and the press are the CPI and the TRS. Staff reporters stationed at district headquarters do not get any information about the activities of these parties. In fact the majority of reporters did not even get an invitation for a meeting addressed by the CPI national secretary, D. Raja, here recently. Similarly, nobody knows what is happening in the TRS.

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