Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee
Last Updated: December 21, 2022, 01:20 AM IST
The Congress, under president Mallikarjun Kharge’s leadership, looks like it has decided to change its strategy. (Image: PTI/File)
Those in the Congress are a little surprised by national president Mallikarjun Kharge’s aggression but the plan is to use him as the main weapon to attack the ruling government and PM Narendra Modi
The Congress has a strategy ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections: “Let Rahul Gandhi spread love while the others in the party launch an aggressive attack on the BJP,” said one of the leaders.
A new plan seems to be in place as newly elected party president Mallikarjun Kharge spoke out on the China issue. From comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a mouse to taunting the BJP by saying that not even “one of its dogs died” in the fight for freedom. Despite pressure from the BJP to apologise, Kharge has refused to back down, countering it with: “What is there to debate about a comment made outside Parliament?” In the Rajya Sabha, in fact, he repeated the argument — minus the dog analogy — that while Congress leaders died for India, the BJP and RSS “should tell us what they did in the freedom movement”.
Those in the Congress, who have now begun to interact with Kharge, are a little surprised by his aggression and some are apprehensive that barbs and personal attacks against the prime minister might just boomerang like they have in the past.
But the party, under Kharge’s leadership, looks like it has decided to change its strategy. So the plan is to use Kharge as the main weapon to attack the ruling government and Prime Minister Modi. There are many reasons for this – first, Kharge has the credibility of having won elections and being a successful politician; second, he is a leader who has risen from the ranks and, therefore, not seen as entitled, both advantages he has over the Gandhis; and finally, he is a Dalit and, therefore, it may be tough for the BJP to make personal comments against him at a time when the saffron party is also making a bid to woo the community.
In fact, in parliament, the BJP while demanding an apology from Kharge attacked senior leader Rahul Gandhi more and blamed the Gandhis for instigating Kharge to make such remarks.
Sources said this was a strategy likely to be used till 2025 as the party, which is facing an exodus, can hope to enthuse the cadre with an aggressive president in control. But is this enough to win elections? Many in the party feel this could be a start and Kharge was taking out time to meet the cadre.
Therefore, in the days to come, Kharge is likely to become shriller much to the surprise of many of his colleagues from his Karnataka days.
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