Congress leader CP Joshi has hit out a classist slur at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader Uma Bharti while addressing a gathering on Thursday.

Rahul Gandhi attacks Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rafale deal

AMBIKAPUR, CHHATTISGARH: Stepping up attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday challenged the former to participate in a debate over the details of the Rafale fighter jets deal signed with the French government.
Mr Gandhi claimed that the Prime Minister will not be in a position to answer his questions over the alleged scams in the deal.

“I challenge Modi Ji to come on stage anywhere, anytime and debate over Rafale with me for just 15 minutes. I will talk about Anil Ambani, HAL, French President’s statements and the pricing of the jets. I will say that Defence Minister said clearly that it’s Prime Minister who did it. The Prime Minister did not follow the procedure. The CBI Director was removed at 2 am. He will not be able to answer my questions,” said Mr Gandhi.

Reiterating his claim, the Congress chief said that Prime Minister Modi’s demonetisation drive has benefited few of his “businessmen friends” in the country.

Talking about the unemployment crisis in Chhattisgarh, Mr Gandhi said that the incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh has failed to provide employment in the state despite ruling for 15 years.

“Raman Singh has been in power for the last 15 years and Prime Minister Modi has completed four and a half years in government at the Centre and both the governments have failed to fulfill their promise to generate employment opportunities for the youth,” he said.

Mr Gandhi added that once the Congress party comes to power in the state, government job vacancies will be filled. “After Congress government comes to power, government job vacancies will be filled and it will also stop the practice of outsourcing of jobs, which is being done in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh”, he added.

He also promised that within 10 days after coming into power, the Congress party will waive off the loans of Chhattisgarh’s farmers. “Secondly, you all were told that you will get a bonus. For the last two years, you have not been getting the same. Not only we will resume this practice, but we will also compensate for the bonus of these two years, which BJP failed to do,” said the Congress chief.

The first phase of voting in Chhattisgarh was held on November 12, while the second phase is due on November 20. The counting of votes will be held on December 11.

Disclaimer: NDTV has been sued for 10,000 crores by Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group for its coverage of the Rafale deal.

Surveys, media reports, buzz on the ground, and, of course, drawing room gossip, show that mood of the electorate is inclined in favour of the Congress party in Rajasthan.

Rajasthan is one State which is most likely to swing in favour of the Congress party, largely due to the combined force of anti-incumbency, fractious political battles within BJP, and the maturity shown by the Congress party’s top two leaders. If Sachin Pilot’s rise in Rajasthan’s politics proves that hard work ultimately pays rich dividends in the longer run, Ashok Gehlot’s prominence demonstrates his firm grip on the party organisation along with his unflinching loyalty to the Congress high command.

Every pre-poll survey in Rajasthan has indicated that BJP is going to suffer heavy electoral losses and the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s is not the first choice of the electorate. This is because of the manner in which she ran her government, marginalizing the loyal party workers, and antagonising the seasoned leaders. As her popularity ratings continue to go down, the vacuum has been ably filled by the Congress party. Gehlot and Pilot are now the new favourites of the electorate.

Pilot’s rise has been facilitated due to several factors. One of the major reasons has been his continued term as the State Congress chief which has allowed him to build his own network of supports and loyalists. This has also helped him brush aside the tag of a paratrooper in State politics while helping him to connect with the masses who feel alienated from Raje’s raj. During this period, he has travelled extensively across the state for mobilising party workers. His suave and sophisticated image has made him immensely popular among the young voters. The elegance with which he has raised state-level issues with an equal emphasis on national issues while crisscrossing the remotest corners of Rajasthan has surprised his colleagues within his party as well as his political opponents in the state and central BJP whom he engaged with great conviction, substantially boosting his national profile.

Although Gehlot’s low acceptability among the Jat community has always been a negative factor for him, however his acceptability among other castes and communities, combined with his humble background has ensured that he remains a famous politician. People still remember his previous tenure as chief minister with fondness.

Although, both Gahlot and Pilot have not concealed their Chief Ministerial ambitions, however, they have not allowed their political ambitions to come in the way of the Congress party’s potential victory in assembly elections. As the date of elections approach, both have smartly avoided any controversy which can prove detrimental to the party’s prospects. When the State leaders of the BJP mounted their attacks regarding the apparent rift between Gahlot and Pilot, the Congress party released an impressive photo showing Pilot driving a motorcycle with Gehlot riding pillion. The leaders were on the way to Karauli, but traffic congestion made Pilot opt for a bike.

Although Raje has succeeded in getting her loyalists party tickets, as revealed in the first list of 131 MLA candidates, it appears to have set the stage against BJP. It will be a miracle if the party crosses 60 marks in the 200-strong Assembly. The BJP’s internal surveys indicated that more than 100 of its current MLAs have become very unpopular with the voters, and the party president Amit Shah did not want to repeat them just because they have been with the party, an argument made by Raje. Although she has been aware of the anti-incumbency wave, Raje has been adamant not to make comprehensive changes, fearing the exit of many of her loyalists. She may have won the internal battle with Amit Shah, but it is sure to spoil BJP’s electoral prospects.

Experienced political analysts can tell that anger is more against Raje than the BJP or Modi. That is why Shah wanted to replace the unpopular faces to increase the party’s electoral prospects. As Raje seems to have got the upper hand in BJP regarding the distribution of tickets, the Congress party has got another shot in the arm.

It takes no genius to argue that forthcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan are going to be focused on state-level issues and personalities as the Modi wave seems to have lost its sheen. Rahul Gandhi is proceeding in the right direction as far as electoral strategy in Rajasthan is concerned. Those who can read the writing on the wall are correctly recommending him to make strategic use of the respective advantages of Gahlot and Pilot without prematurely deciding party’s Chief Ministerial candidate.

Most importantly, it goes to Rahul’s credit that BJP’s central leadership, including the prime minister himself, has been forced to acknowledge his name in recent months, testifying to his increasing political confidence. Their attacks, mostly personal, on Rahul have intensified. It would not be an exaggeration to argue that the road for the Congress party in 2019 general elections goes through Rajasthan.

Aman Jakhar is a political analyst, who can be reached at jakharaman@gmail.com.