Trust politicians to claim credit, even for something they have not contributed to. And if it happens to be an election year, everything is game, including the Oscars. On Monday, the Congress claimed credit for some of the country's recent achievements, including Slumdog Millionaire's success. "All this has been possible because of the conducive environment and good governance of the UPA," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.

"We do not believe in the chimera of Shining India, but we are proud that we have laid the bedrock of achievements, be it first gold at the Olympics, the Chandrayaan moon expedition, 9% rate of growth, 123 nuclear deal or the fact that we are the second-fastest growing economy," he said.

The Congress repeatedly referred to young India, which, incidentally, is a major theme of its electoral pitch, and linked it to current achievements. "Young India is triumphantly marching to glory without recourse to race, religion or region," Singhvi said.

The party also drew a distinction with the BJP, saying it wanted to draw the country into the dark ages marked by a low-level discourse. "They believe in the gimmickry of rath yatras and pumping iron in gyms. This brand of cheap politics needs to be ignored."

Javed M Ansari/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication