Modi and Shah tell BJP leaders not to be ‘overtly camera friendly’ and create controversies in the run-up to the assembly elections and 2019 polls.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah had a note of caution for party leaders gathered at the national executive meeting over the weekend: Don’t rush to TV cameras unless authorised by the party.
A leader present at the BJP national executive meeting told ThePrint that the Modi and Shah advised those present to not be “overtly camera friendly” or speak out of turn as they may end up embarrassing the government.
Ahead of year-end assembly elections in four states and the Lok Sabha elections next year, the top BJP leadership does not want unnecessary controversies triggered by leaders who “love to be on camera every morning”, the leader said.
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The duo’s tough words seemed to have an immediate impact as most of the leaders chose to leave the venue after the national executive meeting without talking to the press.
But how much they will comply with this advice in the long term is anybody’s guess, given that similar utterances from the Prime Minister have fallen on deaf ears in the past.
Only last April, while interacting with the party’s lawmakers through the Narendra Modi app, the PM had asked them not to jump to make statements at the very sight of cameras and then provide fodder to the media to attack the party with.
In the past four years, Modi has issued such warnings several times from different fora, including the BJP parliamentary party, but in vain. And the list of offenders is long, including union ministers, chief ministers, and party leaders.
Last week, Rajasthan minister Rajkumar Rinwa triggered a controversy when he asked people to reduce consumption, if petrol and diesel prices are rising, adding that Indians have no national character.
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Party to form 30-member team for media duties
The BJP is in the process of shortlisting a team of 30 members who will voice the party’s stand on issues on TV channels. Those showing spark might be inducted as party spokespersons, said a leader familiar with the strategy.
“The new 30 members will all be in their 30s and well-versed with the party’s stand on various issues. They will not be called as party spokespersons but will be given the title of panellists,” the source said.
“This will be an army of BJP-trained intellectuals who will not just defend the party but also crush the opposition in the perception war.”
This panel will be a mix of ‘young thinkers’ who are well versed in Hindi, English and vernacular languages apart from being experts in their respective fields, the source said.
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