New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) Is the country's main ruling party, the Congress, living in the past? Is it still to embrace the digital era in which every political party tries to communicate about itself almost round the clock to the outside world through various multimedia platforms, including the internet and social media?


Otherwise how else does one explain the main scroll headline on the home page of www.congressmedia.net -- meant to be like breaking news on television channels -- directing one to the candidate list for the Jharkhand assembly elections, released Nov 3, 2009!

Recent major developments in the party -- the illness of Sonia Gandhi, and the formation of a four-member panel to oversee party affairs in her absence -- do not figure on the homepage or inside contents.

The Congress has two main websites: http://www.congressmedia.net <http://www.congressmedia.net> , managed by the media department of the party, and http://congress.org.in <http://congress.org.in> , run by the computer department.

The announcement about Gandhi's illness did not find place as it was made through a special statement by party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi Aug 4.

The websites, however, carry the summary of the routine press briefings conducted at the party headquarters or parliament.

Thus, while the original statement on Gandhi's illness from Dwivedi was not uploaded, the comments of party spokesperson Manish Tiwari the same day find a place.

"On the question of the health condition of Sonia Gandhi and other related questions, we have circulated a small four-line note...," Tiwari's statement said.

Regarding the committee, Tewari added: "I think the small note speaks for itself."

But the note itself is nowhere on the sites.

"The Congress gets activised mostly during election time. The case will be the same with computer section and websites," political analyst Baalji Sharma told IANS.

The media website bears sufficient proof: the "current news" links you to a story in a national daily, which talks about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's election campaign after his heart surgery -- only these relate to March 2009.

Again, just under that is a link to a commentary on how the Communist Party of India-Marxist may de-nuke India.

Then there is another category titled "Important". The main items under it are Sonia Gandhi's remarks at a meeting with Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs -- this from March 10 last year.

Overall, the site appears far from exhibiting much of anything that is contemporary:

- Under the mugshot of Sonia Gandhi is her remarks at the Congress Working Committee meeting Nov 29, 2008.

- The text under the prime minister's mugshot leads to his resume.

- The link from party general secretary Rahul Gandhi navigates to a page where the main item is his speech delivered in the Lok Sabha July 22, 2008.

Vishvjit P. Singh, chairman of the computer section, told IANS that only the main website (www.congress.org.in) was managed by him.

"We feel we are doing an okay job. Our website is not an interactive or news updating one. It is basically a resource site and you will find a lot of material on Congress history and policies on it," said the former Rajya Sabha member and schoolmate of late former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.