India Shining

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India Shining was a political slogan referring to the overall feeling of economic optimism in India after plentiful rains in 2003 and the success of the Indian IT boom. The slogan was popularized the then-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2004 Indian general elections.

The slogan was initially developed as part of an Indian government campaign intended to promote India internationally. Advertising firm Grey Worldwide won the campaign account in 2003; the slogan and the associated campaign was developed by national creative director Prathap Suthan, in consultation with Finance Minister Jaswant Singh.^[1][2] The BJP-led government spent an estimated $20 million USD of government funds on national television advertisements and newspaper ads featuring the "India Shining" slogan.^[3]

The India Shining slogan drew criticism from various columnists^[4][5][6] and political critics of the ruling National Democratic Alliance government^[7][8] for glossing over a variety of social problems, including poverty and social inequality.

The slogan was then used as a central theme in the BJP's campaign for the 2004 national elections, a move criticized by the BJP's political opponents, who felt that public money was being used for partisan purposes. In response, the Indian Election Commission banned the slogan's broadcast until after the elections, although BJP politicians continued to use the slogan in other contexts.^[2][9][10]

Some editorials also suggested that the India Shining campaign was one of the causes for the subsequent defeat of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in the 2004 parliamentary elections, particularly in urban areas, the target audience of the campaign.^{[11][12][13][14]}. The then Finance Minister countered by indicating that such a provision been made in the previous year's budget statement.^{[citation needed]}

The negative assessment of the India Shining campaign was echoed after the election by former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, who described it as "valid," but "inappropriate for our election campaign...By making them verbal icons of our election campaign, we gave our political opponents an opportunity to highlight other aspects of India's contemporary reality...which questioned our claim. The viciously negative campaign of Congress and Communists, replete with falsehoods, prevailed over the positive campaign of the NDA."^[15][16]

[edit] References

1. ^ ""I would have done the same campaign for the Congress"", Mid-Day, 2004-02-15. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
2. ^ ^{a b} "The Man Behind the 'India Shining' Slogan", Rediff, 2004-04-02. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
3. ^ Perry, Alex. "Subcontinental Divide", TIME Asia, 2004-02-16. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
4. ^ "Not So Shining, Really", Outlook India, 2004-02-02. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
5. ^ "India shines as women grapple with darkness", Times of India, 2004-02-04. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
6. ^ "The Battle Lines", Frontline, 2004-02-27. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
7. ^ "Sonia questions 'India shining' slogan", The Hindu, 2004-01-25. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
8. ^ "BJP's 'India shining' campaign eyewash: Congress", The Hindu, 2004-02-17. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
9. ^ "A campaign that lost sheen", The Hindu Magazine, 2004-08-03. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
10. ^ "India Shining...Feel Good vs Fail Good", India Infoline, 2004-02-10. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
11. ^ "The Meaning of Verdict 2004", The Hindu, 2004-05-14. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
12. ^ "Congress Defeats BJP in India's Parliamentary Election", The Epoch Times, 2004-05-13. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
13. ^ "How India's elections were won and lost", BBC, 2004-05-13. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
14. ^ "India shines through Verdict 2004", The Hindu, 2004-05-14. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
15. ^ "BJP admits 'India Shining' error", BBC, 2004-05-28. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
16. ^ "India Shining backfired: Advani", Times of India, 2004-05-29. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.