New Delhi, April 15 – Bharatiya Janata Party’s leader Arun Jaitley on Tuesday took potshots at ruling Congress over the televised messages of Sonia Gandhi, saying that the party had been forced to change its principal communicator since Rahul Gandhi’s speeches to the people were “not working”.
Taking a jibe in a post on his website, he said the new slogan of Congress is ‘Mein Nahin Mom’ (Not me, Mom) and claimed that last minute attempts to change electoral agenda through paid television time would not click.
Jaitley said that an opinion poll by a leading channel had shown that National Democratic Alliance may get absolute majority and “as the Congress shrinks further, its campaign has resulted in a naught” as it is “too abstract and confused”.
“The Congress Party changed track yesterday. Rahul Gandhi-led campaign and the accompanying advertisements were given a backseat. The Congress President Sonia Gandhi herself decided to lead from the front. She addressed the country by booking television time on all channels,” he said.
Claiming that the desperation in Congress was clear, Jaitley said that speeches, interviews and press conferences of political leaders are always covered by the media and Sonia Gandhi does not have to buy television time in order to reach to the people.
“The idea was to change the principle communicator of the party from the son to the mother,” he said.
The BJP leader, who is contesting the Lower House polls from Amritsar in north India, said the act of bringing Sonia messages on TV was an expression of 
“lack of confidence in Rahul Gandhi, in as much as his speeches to the people were not working.”
“Messages on paid television time cannot last minute change the electoral agenda. Price rise, mismanagement of the economy, corruption, dilution of the office of Prime Minister cannot be a part of either ‘Bhartiyata’ or ‘Hindustaniat’.
This message will not click,” Jaitley said. He claimed the only message on Monday?s speech of Sonia Gandhi telecast on “paid television time” is that Congress party’s new slogan now is “Mein Nahin Mom”.
In his post, Jaitley referred to a survey shown by NDTV, saying that the poll gave to BJP 226 seats in Parliament and to NDA an absolute majority of 275 seats. This is the first opinion poll to have given an absolute majority to NDA, he said, adding that he felt it captured the emerging trend.
As polling date approaches closer in every phase, the groundswell becomes clearer, Jaitley said. “There are two clear trends in the groundswell, its anger against the Congress and the hope in Narendra Modi. My own view is that the actual poll always results in the front runner getting more than what is projected,” he added.
-INDIA TODAY
