BJP in the net; not to be caught in web of uneasy issues

NEW DELHI, January 8: Cyberspace will acquire a new shade of saffron next week when the Bharatiya Janata Party's revamped, user-friendly web...

NEW DELHI, January 8: Cyberspace will acquire a new shade of saffron next week when the Bharatiya Janata Party’s revamped, user-friendly website becomes operational. Complete with a new election theme song that extols Atal Behari Vajpayee, the BJP is set to open up another front in the battle for the ballot.

The BJP is the only party here to have its own website. And ideology is no bar when it comes to hi-tech: The inspiration for the web site has come from unlikely quarters – Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party and Britain’s Labour Party, besides the Conservative Party and Germany’s Christian Democratic Union.

The BJP roped in a private Mumbai-based company, Internetindia, to redesign the website, while the election theme song has been written by two Marathi theatre artistes and admen from Mumbai. Several films are also being made by private filmmakers and are to be screened, probably through video vans, during the elections. The refrain, “Man mein nishchay atal ho (be firm in your resolve)”- punning on the word “atal” – runs through both the films and the theme song.

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The BJP’s earlier website, called “Kamal Darshan”, was created by the Overseas Friends of the BJP in the US last year. Finding that updating was inconvenient, the entire site has now been transferred to India and is ready in its new avatar.

“Welcome to the official website of India’s largest political party, committed to the goal of transforming the world’s oldest civilisation into a strong, prosperous and confident nation occupying her rightful position in the global community,” says the opening bar.

The website offers comprehensive information about the party, its policies and ideology and a link to the websites of the entire Sangh combine – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajarang Dal, Vidya Bharati, et al. Also portraits of the BJP’s two stars, L K Advani and Vajpayee, complete with photographs and audio speeches. For the human touch, a recording of Vajpayee reading his own poetry has also been added.

Will this foray into cyberspace propaganda boost the BJP’s prospects in the elections? Not directly, says a party ideologue. “This is targeted towards opinion-makers.” There is a bulletin board for surfers to interact with each other. The BJP hopes to get some feedback on the response to its website from this.

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For a glimpse into the world of the BJP, click bjp.org.