Karnataka Congmen to ensure party’s 'mouthpiece' thrives in State

Vice President Hamid Ansari will relaunch National Herald in Bengaluru on June 12 The paper started by former PM Jawaharlal Nehru was shut down in 2008 following financial troubles Party to retain the publication’s earlier tagline - ‘freedom is in peril, defend it with all your might’.  AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi likely to be present during launch

Ahead of the elections, the State unit of the Congress has been tasked with another major assignment - to aggressively promote the party’s “mouthpiece” National Herald, which is all set to re-emerge in its new avatar on June 12.

In a strategic move, the party is launching the product (now to be made available in form of a weekly magazine) in Karnataka’s capital, Bengaluru. Karnataka is one among the handful of States in the country where the party still remains relevant. Given the fact that it is election year, the party is determined to retain power in the State.
Launched as a daily by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938, the paper had to face closure in the year 2008. 
Shrouded in controversies, National Herald is also currently under the IT scanner. This follows a complaint by BJP’s Subramanaian Swamy who has levelled corruption charges against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others.
Despite the controversies, the party has finally decided to revive the publication, a plan which had been stalled all these years by the junior Gandhi.

The change of heart comes as no surprise, as the party realises that a lot is at stake. Unable to counter the BJP’s massive PR exercise and its growing support base over the years, the grand old party has been left badgered and bruised.
So here’s where the Karnataka Congressmen come in. Late on Sunday night, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal convened a meeting in Bengaluru, which was attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a few of his cabinet colleagues and KPCC president G Parameshwara.

All leaders, functionaries and workers have been asked to promote the weekly “aggressively” in the State. They have been asked to ensure a minimum of 100 subscriptions each. When contacted by Asianet Newsable, the party’s Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao said that as a decision has been taken to revive the paper, Congressmen were duty bound to promote it everywhere.

“To ensure mass readership, it becomes the duty of every Congressman to promote the magazine as aggressively as possible. We have to counter the BJP’s agenda very strongly. The Vajpayee government was different. But today, the government machinery is being used to smother voices - blackmailing tactics are being used. The BJP will go to any extent to destroy its opponents. It is a difficult time for the country - we are facing serious implications. There is need to use very medium to counter this,” he said.

Rao said that National Herald would make efforts to be “balanced, rational, progressive and liberal”. “It will definitely not be used for tomtoming the Congress. Also, there will be no cover up for the Congress. Our own party’s flaws will be highlighted without fail. It will not turn out to be a party pamphlet. However, the party’s ideologies will be upheld and its values will be promoted by the magazine,” he added.

Rao said that for starters, the magazine will be launched in English. It would subsequently be made available in other languages, including Kannada. He also said that the magazine would also be launched in New Delhi in the days to come. 
Rao also said that Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Bengaluru on June 12 was yet to be confirmed. “The magazine will be launched by Vice President Hamid Ansari, while Siddaramaiah will be the chief guest. MPs, legislators and senior leaders of the party will be present during the launch,” he said.

The magazine will be launched in Ambedkar Bhavan, and senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, who is also a director in the company, has been asked to oversee the launch.