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In a bid to out maneuver the opposition on Food Security bill, Congress today got the Food minister KV Thomas to brief its party spokespersons on salient features of the ordinance that is likely to catapult the Congress in the run up to 2014. Party sources disclosed that Congress spokespersons including Communications media department incharge Ajay Maken spent an hour and a half (11am to 12.30 ) at the Food ministry being coached by Thomas.
Congress media strategists have decided to go for the jugular as far as the Food bill goes, publicizing it on every public platform and projecting it aggressively. A Congress senior leader said, “We need to blunt the BJP and Opposition attack on us as far as the Food ordinance goes.” Adding, “We needed to equip our spokespersons with the finer points of the bill and so we asked them to go to the Food ministry at Krishi Bhavan.”
The Food bill is perceived to be the “gamechanger” as far as the beleaguered Congress is concerned and the party has decided to maximize public awareness about the Food Ordinance. Already Pradesh Congress units have been directed to get their act together and ensure that the UPA’s welfare measure the Food bill is known to every “aam aadmi.”
The Opposition has been targeting the Congress on its hurry to take the Ordinance route. Spokespersons have been asked to push through the point before the public that as the Opposition had been derailing Parliament the bill couldn’t be pushed through last session and so the Congress led UPA had little option but to bring it in the form of an Ordinance.
