New Delhi: After the Congress’ drubbing in four state AsseÂmbly elections, Rahul GaÂnÂdhi has embarked on an exercise to reach out to the media, both electronic and print, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections schÂedÂuled early next year.
The Congress vice-president has decided to build bridges with the media after realising the challenge posed by BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi.
According to official sources in the Congress, Gandhi will meet mediapersons in groups. ‘It will be off-the-record interaction,’ they said.
Gandhi will meet senior journalists in small groups and then meet journalists covering the Congress in larger groups, they said.
The Amethi MP, who will be completing 10 years in active politics in April-May next year, hardly has any personal rapport with the mediapersons covering the CongÂress. But, if insiders are to be believed, he did meet a few mediapersons in smaller groups, that too on the recommendation of senior party leaders.
Reporters covering the Congress hardly have any idea of Mr Gandhi’s thinking on important issues, his focus and strategy. They come to know his mind through secondrung leaders.
Modi, Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal and top regional players are good communicators, irrespective of whether or not they are accessible to the media, like BSP chief Mayawati or AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa.
In 1999, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had one-and-one meetings with journalists after the party lost the Lok Sabha elections. But this was subsequently discontinued.
Rahul Gandhi will be reviving this practice after foreseeing a major political challenge before him and the party at a time when he will be completing one year as the party vice-president next month.
