April 29, 2009

Word play

* "They are not united. They have made no progress. Then why do they call themselves the United Progressive Alliance?"

* "If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?"

* "Do you want to see India united? Do you want to see India progress? Then it's time to make the United Progressive Alliance disappear."

Each of these, the entire text of a print ads. They have appeared in my morning paper, one a day over the last three days.

Well, not the entire text. At the bottom of each of the ads is "Shiv Sena-BJP Alliance" and "Issued by Shivsena Central Office, Dadar, Mumbai."

These are also the only ads I've seen from the SS-BJP Alliance.

So what's it, the SS-BJP Alliance has no programme to offer voters? It can find nothing to say about what it plans to do if it comes to power? It's ashamed of its vision for India, so much so that it prefers to stay silent?

I mean, what's a voter to do who's disillusioned with the current government? A voter, for example, like me? I look around for alternatives, but the major alternative out there can offer only a puerile play on words. With zero about its plans for my country.

Yeah, that's the way to get my vote. Sure.

6 comments:

Mayuresh Gaikwad said...

Probably, I am a little late in pointing you to this link, as the elections in Mumbai would have been over by the time you read this.

The BJP's manifesto can be found at http://bjp.org/images/pdf/election_manifesto_english.pdf

For a summary of the manifesto, please read http://friendsofbjp.org/category/manifesto/

Unfortunately, I have no links pointing to the Sena manifesto. However, it has been covered in some detail in the national dailies and a simple google search shall yield the links.

So, the advertisements brought out in the newspapers should now make sense

Thanks,
Mayuresh

Dilip D'Souza said...

Mayuresh, I see an ad in the paper and I have to simply divine that I need to go hunting on the web for a manifesto? This is the BJP/Sena's idea of looking for votes?

Would it have been too difficult to put bullet points from the manifesto into the daily ads?

Ramesh said...

R U serious?? U R really looking for plans and maniefesto from the Sena??

Its true, they have nothing by way of vision. GEt used to it.

Anonymous said...

ya ya... I see you voting for the SS/BJP combine if they had published ads spelling out their plans etc..

Mayuresh Gaikwad said...

Dilip,

That would be diluting the message! The message that the BJP/Sena combine wanted to reinforce is that the UPA government has made a fool of the Indian citizens for the last five years.

And yes, the salient features of the BJP manifesto (and the bullet points) have appeared in national dailies some time in the preceding weeks. Anyways, too late now, maybe useful next election!

Dilip D'Souza said...

Mayuresh:

That would be diluting the message!

It would be diluting the message to tell me what it is?

There's a novel idea.

The message that the BJP/Sena combine wanted to reinforce is that the UPA government has made a fool of the Indian citizens for the last five years.

Which is what any party that's out of power and is seeking votes must do. But if that party refuses to tell us what it plans to do instead, it is no less intent on making a fool of Indian citizens.

The salient features of the BJP manifesto (and the bullet points) have appeared in national dailies some time in the preceding weeks.

In paid ads placed prominently? Not that I've noticed.

Anon 901:

I see you voting for the SS/BJP combine... [etc]

Well, if I was still too young to vote, I worked for the Janata combine (which included the BJP) in 1977, that watershed year in Indian politics.