Rahul slams rivals in UP, stakes Cong claim
A charged- up and confident Rahul Gandhi used his first major interactive session with Congress workers in Uttar Pradesh on Friday to place himself at the helm of his party’s campaign in the electionbound state.
A day after lobbing the “Arhar Modi” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over spiralling prices in the country, Mr Gandhi didn’t spare his own party leaders. Responding to a question put to him by a Congress worker, that conflicting
Ignore those leaders who sit in air- conditioned rooms in Delhi and badmouth the Congress.
Rahul Gandhi Congress vice- president
messages were coming from New Delhi about the party’s intention to fight UP elections and its prospects, the Congress vice- president asked party workers to ignore “those leaders who sit in air- conditioned rooms in Delhi and badmouth the Congress”.
Making it clear that the Congress was fighting elections to win back Uttar Pradesh, Mr Gandhi said, “Listen to party workers and the people. I will take care of these leaders. Anyone who now violates the discipline in the party will face action.”
Referring to thousands of drenched party workers who stood listening to him after the heavy rains that had taken place just before the programme began, Mr Gandhi said, “Jiska kurta geela hoga, jiska kurta phatega, wohi
The BJP rebel Navjot Singh Sidhu and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal are making the Punjab battle tough for the Congress whose leaders have realised that the party has to modify its electoral strategy urgently.
Mr Sidhu’s entry in the election campaign could be a game changer because he is emeging as a crowd puller, viewed the Punjab Congress leaders.
The Congress has made atleast three attempts to bring Mr Sidhu into the party after he resigned from the Rajya Sabha. Even Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh made a formal appeal in this regard, but Mr Sidhu moved closer to the AAP and the talk in the political circles is that he can join the Kejriwal- led party in the coming days.
Asked whether Prashant Kishor’s strategy is working in Punjab at the ground level, a Congress MP who did not wish to be named, said Mr Kishor has prepared the plan but new elements have emerged in the battle. Therefore, we have to modify our strategy.
The Congress party has engaged Mr Kishor, a poll strategist, in Punjab as well as Uttar Pradesh.
A Congress strategist said that Mr Kejriwal is more dangerous than the Prime Miniser Narendra Modi. The AAP’s primary objective is to create a space for itself by damanging the Congress. And for that purpose it is focussing on smaller states. After Punjab, it will concentrate on the Goa polls in 2017.
Although the Shiromani Akali Dal is the main target of the AAP, Mr Sidhu and Mr Kerjiwal can succeed only by damaging the Congress party. This is because the Congress is the main Opposition and the main hurdle in their quest to come to power.