‘Priyanka’s a superstar, party needs her nationally. Hence, she’s not contesting’
On the day Congress ended the suspense on Amethi & Rae Bareli, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh in an interview with Ambika Pandit says even though the party wanted Rahul and Priyanka to contest from these seats, one very important reason for Priyanka not contesting is that she is a ‘superstar’ campaigner for Congress who is taking on BJP forcefully. Excerpts:
Congress wanted Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to contest. Why did Rahul eventually decide to contest from Rae Bareli and Priyanka stayed away from the contest?
One very important reason for Priyanka ji deciding not to contest Amethi is that she is a superstar campaigner and her presence as a national campaigner is crucial. If both (Rahul and Priyanka) had contested, then they would have been bottled up in their own constituencies. I must say that Rahul is campaigning nationally too and has programmes in the days ahead, but he will have to campaign in Rae Bareli also. Priyanka ji is the most forceful campaigner we have. She pays back Modi and Shah in their own language. Her response to the PM’s insane remarks on Rajiv Gandhi and estate duty abolition demolished Modi completely. I don’t think when I say this, neither the Congress president nor Rahul would disagree with me.
Since you say that she is a superstar campaigner, would it not have been better if she contested the polls?
The party wanted both Priyanka and Rahul to contest but realistically, it was clear to me and many people in the party that since PM Modi has upped the campaign and taken it to a totally different pitch, attacking the family… Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, she (Priyanka) is able to blunt the BJP’s attacks. She is campaigning all over the country. By temperament, Rahul talks on issues — inequality, Constitution and other policy issues. She (Priyanka) is tailor-made for politics and she is a natural in every way — her connection with people, her style of campaigning, her personality… so it is a matter of time before she comes into electoral politics. She is very much in politics, let us not be under any misimpression.
Don’t you think holding up the announcement of candidates till the last day of nomination sends out a message that there was reluctance or indecisiveness on the part of Rahul and Priyanka?
No. There is no delay. If you check on details of past elections, you will find that they (Gandhis) have filed nominations either on the penultimate day or the last. There is no negative messaging going out to people because of the announcement coming on the last day, these are all headlines being masterminded by BJP.
Congress has been under attack from BJP on issues ranging from redistribution of wealth, inheritance tax, religion-based quota and Muslim appeasement. What do you have to say?
The PM clearly changed his discourse after the first phase of polling on April 19 as political trends became very evident that not only was BJP going to be wiped out in the south but even in traditional bastions, where it had done very well in 2019 and virtually destroyed Congress, in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. So suddenly, the PM’s discourse changed and the comments on redistribution of wealth, inheritance tax, reservations, mangalsutra started coming. He started talking of Muslims explicitly. So far, they used to use minority appeasement but this was a no-holds barred frontal accusation. I put it down to a nervousness on the part of BJP.
BJP has been citing video clippings of Rahul drawing from his statements. What is your view on this?
PM Modi is picking up one line from here and there and they (BJP) are twisting every line. It is very clear that he (Modi) is making this into a Hindu-Muslim battle. It shows the PM wants to play the game on his own pitch and that is the communal pitch.
We are now heading for the third phase. What are Congress’s prospects?
I am sticking my neck out to say that the INDIA bloc will get a clear and convincing majority. I say this based on our performance and we will gain in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana.