‘Price Rise Study’ Or Political Optics? Venugopal’s PR Exercise At Congress Ward President’s Residence

Alappuzha: The Congress party’s attempt to project a “grassroots” outreach ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections has run into controversy after details emerged about a recent visit by AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, MP, to the district.

Recently, Venugopal had visited Alappuzha claiming that he was conducting a study on price rise and its impact on ordinary families. The programme was widely promoted by Congress social media handles and highlighted by certain media platforms. Television visuals showed the MP inside a kitchen described as that of a fishing family, sharing a simple meal of boiled tapioca with the women in the house and discussing the impact of inflation on their daily expenses.

The visuals were presented as an example of direct engagement with common people struggling with rising prices. The narrative suggested that a senior national leader had stepped into the home of an ordinary family to understand their difficulties.

However, it later emerged that the house visited by Venugopal belonged to P. Ninu, the Congress ward president of Kanjiramchira ward in Alappuzha municipality. The revelation triggered strong reactions on social media, with many alleging that the visit was stage-managed to create a particular public image.

Questions were raised about the manner in which the visit was projected, as it had been presented as an outreach to a non-political household. The development led to accusations that the episode appeared more like a publicity exercise than a genuine effort to understand the concerns of ordinary families.

The programme also marked one of Venugopal’s limited appearances in the constituency after the elections and was covered by leading television channels. As the Assembly elections draw nearer, the controversy has strengthened criticism that the Congress leadership is resorting to staged optics and scripted engagements to manufacture public sympathy instead of engaging in genuine dialogue with people facing rising prices.

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