Express News Service
No Monkey BusinessTeen Bandar behind Bharat Jodo Yatra’s visual blitz
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has drawn crowds and attention few expected. While the Gandhi scion is still in the south, videos of his padayatra with thousands thronging along the roads have gone viral across the country and abroad. Video clips of Gandhi hugging the elderly, picking up children in his lap, receiving handmade gifts from the poor, and addressing fisherfolks and farmers have been widely shared. Then there are the professionally produced drone shots of the milling crowds and Rahul’s march with adrenalin-pumping background scores. Behind this high-voltage coverage of the padayatra is a marketing and communications company called Teen Bandar. Sources said that the publicity strategy for the padayatra was crafted by Teen Bandar, a company run by two persons — Prashant Chari and Savio Joseph. Rahul’s morning sprint with children and Kommu dance with Telangana tribals were ideas reportedly conceived by the company. Congress leaders say that thanks to Teen Bandar, there has been no dull day since the yatra began. Hiring Teen Bandar has been a Bandarful idea for the Congress.
Parivar PrioritiesRSS plans to shorten Pracharaks’ posting in BJP
When former BJP president Nitin Gadkari was dropped from the powerful parliamentary board, the party’s current boss J P Nadda visited the Udaseen Ashram to brief RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat about the circumstances that led to the decision. There is a symbiotic relationship between the BJP and the RSS. Besides being on the same page on ideological issues, both cooperate closely on organisational matters. Senior RSS leaders are embedded in the BJP’s organisational team for coordination and ideological piloting. The post of organising secretary at the central and state levels in the BJP is usually held by RSS pracharaks. There have been pracharaks who’ve held the post for over a decade. Ram Lal, for example, functioned as BJP’s general secretary (organisation) for thirteen years. He is now back with the RSS. Sources said that the RSS plans to cut short the pracharaks’ exposure to the BJP. There is a feeling within the Sangh that long stints with the BJP led to the politicisation of pracharaks. They are sent to the BJP for organisational work, not to dabble in politics. The Sangh is, therefore, in the process of firming up a decision not to give its pracharaks more than one or, in exceptional circumstances, two terms in the BJP. As per the BJP constitution, the term of its office-bearers lasts for three years.
Political GambitDecember MCD polls to keep AAP away from Gujarat
The Aam Aadmi Party took away Congress voters in Delhi and Punjab and played a role in its defeat in Goa. But now it threatens to eat into the BJP votes in the high-stakes Gujarat assembly elections. Arvind Kejriwal started the Gujarat campaign by tying up with Chhotubhai Vasava’s Bharatiya Tribal Party. The alliance was expected to hurt both the Congress and the BJP in the tribal belt, home to 15 per cent of the state’s population. But they soon parted ways. Kejriwal is now on his own. And true to form, he focuses largely on the urban seats of Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara. These are the BJP’s strongholds. There is little surprise that the BJP’s attack in Gujarat has focused more on AAP than the Congress. The BJP has raised the issue of HawalaGate and LiquorGate against AAP. Both stories were, incidentally, broken by this paper. The party is trying to defend its urban strongholds against AAP’s attempts to poach its voters. Therefore, the timing of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections is seen as the BJP’s attempt to draw the AAP leadership out of Gujarat. Delhi is AAP’s home turf, where it enjoys enormous support. The party cannot complain about its timing as it has been demanding MCD polls for a long time. The BJP has played it smart by attempting to spread the AAP leadership thin. Gujarat elections are scheduled on December 1 and 5, and the MCD polls are on December 4.
No Monkey Business
Teen Bandar behind Bharat Jodo Yatra’s visual blitz
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has drawn crowds and attention few expected. While the Gandhi scion is still in the south, videos of his padayatra with thousands thronging along the roads have gone viral across the country and abroad. Video clips of Gandhi hugging the elderly, picking up children in his lap, receiving handmade gifts from the poor, and addressing fisherfolks and farmers have been widely shared. Then there are the professionally produced drone shots of the milling crowds and Rahul’s march with adrenalin-pumping background scores. Behind this high-voltage coverage of the padayatra is a marketing and communications company called Teen Bandar. Sources said that the publicity strategy for the padayatra was crafted by Teen Bandar, a company run by two persons — Prashant Chari and Savio Joseph. Rahul’s morning sprint with children and Kommu dance with Telangana tribals were ideas reportedly conceived by the company. Congress leaders say that thanks to Teen Bandar, there has been no dull day since the yatra began. Hiring Teen Bandar has been a Bandarful idea for the Congress.
Parivar Priorities
RSS plans to shorten Pracharaks’ posting in BJP
When former BJP president Nitin Gadkari was dropped from the powerful parliamentary board, the party’s current boss J P Nadda visited the Udaseen Ashram to brief RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat about the circumstances that led to the decision. There is a symbiotic relationship between the BJP and the RSS. Besides being on the same page on ideological issues, both cooperate closely on organisational matters. Senior RSS leaders are embedded in the BJP’s organisational team for coordination and ideological piloting. The post of organising secretary at the central and state levels in the BJP is usually held by RSS pracharaks. There have been pracharaks who’ve held the post for over a decade. Ram Lal, for example, functioned as BJP’s general secretary (organisation) for thirteen years. He is now back with the RSS. Sources said that the RSS plans to cut short the pracharaks’ exposure to the BJP. There is a feeling within the Sangh that long stints with the BJP led to the politicisation of pracharaks. They are sent to the BJP for organisational work, not to dabble in politics. The Sangh is, therefore, in the process of firming up a decision not to give its pracharaks more than one or, in exceptional circumstances, two terms in the BJP. As per the BJP constitution, the term of its office-bearers lasts for three years.
Political Gambit
December MCD polls to keep AAP away from Gujarat
The Aam Aadmi Party took away Congress voters in Delhi and Punjab and played a role in its defeat in Goa. But now it threatens to eat into the BJP votes in the high-stakes Gujarat assembly elections. Arvind Kejriwal started the Gujarat campaign by tying up with Chhotubhai Vasava’s Bharatiya Tribal Party. The alliance was expected to hurt both the Congress and the BJP in the tribal belt, home to 15 per cent of the state’s population. But they soon parted ways. Kejriwal is now on his own. And true to form, he focuses largely on the urban seats of Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara. These are the BJP’s strongholds. There is little surprise that the BJP’s attack in Gujarat has focused more on AAP than the Congress. The BJP has raised the issue of HawalaGate and LiquorGate against AAP. Both stories were, incidentally, broken by this paper. The party is trying to defend its urban strongholds against AAP’s attempts to poach its voters. Therefore, the timing of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections is seen as the BJP’s attempt to draw the AAP leadership out of Gujarat. Delhi is AAP’s home turf, where it enjoys enormous support. The party cannot complain about its timing as it has been demanding MCD polls for a long time. The BJP has played it smart by attempting to spread the AAP leadership thin. Gujarat elections are scheduled on December 1 and 5, and the MCD polls are on December 4.
