Silence, they say, is golden. But, silence in political communication has dangerous consequences. Silence can create wrong perceptions about the party. Failure to answer allegations and complaints will spell doom for the party. Hence parties have spokespersons, whose job is to speak up, defend, attack and answer.
Unfortunately the spokespersons of the Congress Party in Telangana seem to think otherwise. Though there are as many as 12 spokespersons, very few are speaking out and are defending the party. Except for a couple of spokespersons, the others are silent. This has now become a hot topic of discussion both within and outside the party.
Curiously, only TPCC chief Revanth Reddy and Congress Legislative Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka are leading the charge. The daily press briefings and press conferences are becoming rarer by each passing day. For a party that is out of power for two consecutive terms, the spokespersons should be doubly active. But, except for persons like Addanki Dayakar, the others are all deafeningly silent.
Another interesting feature is that most party voices seem to prefer attending TV debates and not press briefings and press conferences. Old-timers also say that the spokespersons are not visiting the Gandhi Bhavan on a daily basis. In major political parties, one or two spokespersons would always be available for commenting, explaining the party’s stand and for refuting the allegations. The T Congress is turning out to be a major failure in this direction.
