Watch a Samajwadi Party spokesperson explain the logic behind its exclusive perfume line ‘Samajwadi Sugandh’
Economics comes second to spreading the ‘sugandh’ of the party.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at a press conference on Tuesday launched four exclusive, limited edition perfumes, called ‘Samajwadi Sugandh’. The perfumes not meant for sale, will be given by the Chief Minister as presents to his guests, Deccan Chronicle reported quoting a senior official.
In the video above, the party’s spokesperson Pankhuri Pathak defends the perfume announcement on a TV news debate, as being more than a marketing strategy, in view of the upcoming 2017 assembly elections.
She says there are two reasons for launching their own brand of perfume. One, to spread the scent, so to speak, of brotherhood. She says, “We are trying to send out a social message.”
“The message for the people is that our government’s ‘good governance’, the way it has maintained communal harmony, and feelings of brotherhood, to spread the scent of that...”
“This perfume has been launched at our government’s fourth anniversary, so our message is that the ‘samajwad sugandh’ should spread in the whole state and the nation.”
The message of communal harmony is a curious one. The state has witnessed several riots under the present government. The worst of which were those in Muzaffarnagar. In 2013, Uttar Pradesh held the dubious distinction for being the state with the most riots that year.
The infamous lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq over beef last year, also took place in the UP village of Dadri, where the police then sent the meat for forensic testing.
The second reason given by the spokesperson is “economic” she says. It's to develop the Kannauj itra industry, and to create employment.
It was announced in June last year that Kannauj will get a modern perfume plant.