Congress brings back 'Garibi Hatao' slogan to woo masses

Thirty-five years on, the Congress Party government has brought back "Garibi Hatao" -- "Eradicate Poverty".

The government, elected in 2004 on an anti-poverty programme, is hoping the slogan will again work magic and keep the masses in its fold, say analysts.

"The problem is that of showing achievements (on the anti-poverty front)," says Rasheed Kidwai, biographer of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, daughter-in-law of Indira who was assassinated in 1984.

"The government's report card does not have much to show. It's also trying to woo its traditional core constituency with an eye on the next national polls due in 2009," Kidwai says.

The government says it used the Indira Gandhi slogan for the restructuring of a package of anti-poverty programmes because it was an easier term to understand than Hindi officials for poverty alleviation.