From an advertising and communication perspective, branding a political alliance as INDIA is a brilliant idea and a dangerous strategy. But it remains to be seen how much the countrymen will digest this psychological ploy.
The upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections are going to be exciting. The country is on the path of development. The expansion of highways and expressways during this period is unprecedented. Digital modes of transactions have made people’s life easier. The means of telecommunication and internet data are as affordable as they have never been before. Our country is moving towards becoming the new Superpower of the world. After all this, it becomes necessary that this chariot of development continues to run at the current speed. This has been possible because of a corruption-free government with an absolute majority in the House. It is obvious that a ‘khichdi sarkar’ cannot give all this to the countrymen. If there are 26 people using a single sheet, there will definitely be a tussle. The Opposition parties are happy by naming their sheet as INDIA, but they do not know that no one person or organization can have authority over India. Has this name been adopted after consulting India? Have the countrymen allowed this misuse?
India is the name of this nation and the nation belongs to the 1.4 billion people. No one can claim his rights on this name. The one who does this will definitely face the music. India will give a befitting reply to this idea, let the day of polling come. I believe that you cannot drag the name of the country in your petty fights and squabbles. No nationalist Indian citizen will tolerate this cheap joke, just let the elections come. Then watch the spectacle. Most of the names in this group of 26 are involved in corruption cases, some are out on bail and some are facing legal cases, while some others are under investigation. How can such tainted individuals or parties be recognized in the name of the nation? And which true Indian would allow this to happen? With the kind of cheap words used during the poll campaigns by these political parties, you can easily guess what is going to happen to the dignity of the word INDIA.
Earlier also a political party was successful in keeping Indians poor for decades by giving the slogan of Garibi Hatao. A leader of the same party had publicly accepted that one rupee sent from the Center gets reduced to ten paise by the time it reaches the beneficiary. This ‘leakage’ does not happen nowadays, as the entire amount directly reaches the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. Linguistically, even the word India is a symbol of English mentality, while the other camp emphasizes Bharat, promotes Hindi at global levels, and speaks to the heart of Indians. It is not enough just to use a tricky name or slogan to persuade voters, it is necessary that the person or the party has integrity, honesty, truthfulness, grassroots-level connection with the people, and patriotism, to succeed. However, from an advertising and communication perspective, calling the group INDIA is a brilliant idea and a dangerous strategy. But it remains to be seen how much the countrymen will be able to digest this psychological ploy.
The writer is a senior journalist and columnist, Views are personal Twitter @narvijayyadav
