Fadnavis terms Rahul’s youth outreach ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’

Fadnavis said that the Congress has built a ‘Bharat Jodo’ narrative ahead of the Lok Sabha elections by bringing together 180 different NGOs

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday described the CJP (Cockroach Janta Party) as the ‘Congress Jitao Programme’ and alleged that the Opposition, unable to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on ideology, is now trying to turn the contest into one centred on individual issues.

Fadnavis claimed that people attending CJP meetings include the same ‘180 entities’ that, according to him, helped create an anti-BJP narrative during the Lok Sabha elections. (HT PHOTO)

Speaking at the BJP’s state-level convention in Pune, Fadnavis also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s youth outreach programme, ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’, referring to it as ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’ or echo of lies.

“The Opposition has realised that it cannot win the battle of ideology. That is why the battle has now shifted to issues. But we cannot afford to lose even this battle. We have to win it and defeat their fake narrative,” Fadnavis said.

Fadnavis said that the Congress has built a ‘Bharat Jodo’ narrative ahead of the Lok Sabha elections by bringing together 180 different NGOs. The chief minister claimed that he had pointed out in the assembly that most of these organisations had been described as ‘urban Naxals’ by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Fadnavis said that the Congress has brought these entities together because they have no electoral accountability and hence cannot be questioned in the same manner as political parties. He alleged that they spread what he termed as ‘lies’ during the Lok Sabha campaign, while the BJP was engaged in countering the narrative.

Fadnavis said that the Opposition subsequently tried to build narratives around several issues, including the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the condition of Zilla Parishad schools.

“They first opposed us on various issues and then targeted the Ram temple. An attempt was made to create a narrative that there is something wrong with the Ram temple,” he said.

On the CJP, Fadnavis said, “CJP is not a small group. It is essentially a ‘Congress Jitao Programme’. The people associated with it are only the face; there are others working behind them.”

Fadnavis claimed that people attending CJP meetings include the same ‘180 entities’ that, according to him, helped create an anti-BJP narrative during the Lok Sabha elections.

“These are the same people who created a narrative against the BJP during the Lok Sabha. These same people are now coming up with a new name,” Fadnavis said. He also alleged that several people are involved in creating what he calls ‘fake narratives’ against the BJP.

Taking aim at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme, he said, ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj is actually Jhooth Ki Goonj’. He cited a website which, he claimed, has fact-checked statements made by Gandhi during the Lok Sabha campaign.

Fadnavis said that the BJP will have to change its communication strategy to connect with younger voters, pointing out that social media platforms have become an important source of information for the youth.

“The youth today is focused on mobile phones and social media. We are still on Facebook, while Instagram has become a major source of news for them. To counter fake narratives, we need the appropriate tools and a new approach,” he said.

He asked the BJP Yuva Morcha to enrol at least 10 lakh ‘Yuva Warriors’ from the nearly two crore people in Maharashtra aged 18 to 26 years.

Highlighting the state government’s achievements, Fadnavis questioned the Congress over its criticism of the state government and asked why the party’s leaders did not focus instead on the performance of Congress-ruled states.

Drawing a parallel with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s guerrilla warfare tactics, Fadnavis said that the BJP needs to adopt innovative methods to counter the Opposition.