Modi taught me what not to do, says Congress chief
NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the poll outcome in five states was a clear message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government that the country is not happy, and asserted that a combined opposition will fight and defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on the central themes of unemployment, agrarian distress and corruption.
Addressing a news conference at Congress headquarters in New Delhi after it became clear that his party is forming governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and had taken the lead in Madhya Pradesh, a beaming Gandhi said the Prime Minister had received a massive mandate in 2014, but refused to listen to the “heartbeat” of the country.
“I feel bad for him. He had got a massive opportunity to transform this country. There is a feeling among the people that the promises made by the Prime Minister have not been fulfilled,” the 48-year-old Gandhi, who became party president a year ago, said.
“The best thing for me was the 2014 elections...i learnt a lot from that election...i learnt that the most important thing in this country is what the people feel...and that you have to work with that sentiment,” Gandhi said. “Mr Narendra Modi taught me that lesson...he taught me what not to do. He didn’t listen to India’s heartbeat...he was given a massive opportunity to transform the country,” he said.
Just before his arrival, Congress supporters holding posters praising Gandhi danced and burst firecrackers in celebration outside the party headquarters.
“Mr Modi had sold a vision to the people five years ago, but failed to provide that. The people’s disenchantment can be seen across the country,” he said.
In tweets sent late at night, Prime Minister Modi congratu- lated the Congress and the winners of the election in Telangana and Mizoram. “I thank the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for giving us the opportunity to serve these states. The BJP governments in these states worked tirelessly for the welfare of the people,” he wrote.
The Congress president said serious questions were being asked about the future of country’s young amid a sense of discontentment.
“There is a clear message to the Prime Minister that the people are not happy with his decisions, including demonetisation and those pertaining to farmers and youth,” he said when asked if the poll outcome was a referendum on Modi.
“The time has come for a change. We will also win in 2019. The central question is how does our country give jobs to millions and millions of the youth?”
Thanking the people and party workers for the Congress’ performance in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, he said, “We are going to provide these three states with a vision and a government they can be proud of,” he said, adding that he would have liked the Congress to perform better in Telangana, where the Telangana Rashtra Samithi won a landslide.
“A resurgent Congress combined with the opposition will defeat the BJP. It will be very difficult for Modi and the BJP to win the 2019 elections,” he said. “The opposition is strongly united and we will unitedly contest against the BJP.”
Attacking the BJP for its Congress-mukt Bharat(congressfree India) slogan, the Congress leader said the BJP has a certain ideology and his party will fight against it. “We have won this election, we will also win in 2019. However, we do not want to get rid of anyone. Hum kisi ko mukt nahi karna chahtein (We don’t want to free the country of anyone).”
Asked about the selection of chief ministers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, he said there will not be any issues and the process will be smooth.
Gandhi said the process of a loan waiver for farmers promised by his party will start as soon as Congress governments are formed.
However, he said the loan waiver is a measure and not a solution to the farmers’ distress. “We will provide an architecture for a new vision,” he said.
Gandhi said the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when his party was reduced to its lowest tally in Parliament ever, was the “best thing” that had happened to him.