‘Bidhuri a distraction…BJP in for a surprise’: Rahul Gandhi on poll narrative
Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of distracting from caste census, predicted Congress wins in upcoming elections, and highlighted challenges faced by opposition.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to distract people from the idea of caste census by triggering controversies through its lawmakers Ramesh Bidhuri and Nishikant Dubey, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday. Speaking at a media conclave in New Delhi, the former Congress president said the lesson from the Karnataka assembly elections was that the BJP wins elections by “distracting and not allowing us to construct our narrative”.
Gandhi was responding to a question related to the prospects of Congress in the upcoming state elections. He asserted that Congress is "probably winning" Telangana, “certainly winning” Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and “very close” in Rajasthan which “we think we’ll be able to win”.
“We learned a very important lesson in Karnataka, and the lesson was that the BJP wins elections by distracting and not allowing us to construct our narrative,” Gandhi said at ‘The Conclave 2023’ organised by Pratidin Media Network.
“And so what we did in Karnataka, we fought the election in a way where the BJP could not define the narrative. What you're seeing today, Bidhuri, and then suddenly this Nishikant Dubey, this is all the BJP trying to distract from the idea of the caste census,” he added.
A major controversy erupted this week after BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri hurled communal slurs at a fellow lawmaker from the Bahujan Samaj Party, Danish Ali, on the floor of the House. Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary K C Venugopal visited the BSP leader and expressed solidarity with him.
Later in a tweet, Gandhi posted pictures with Ali and said, “Nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan (shop for spreading love in market of hate).”
Gandhi said the Congress is controlling the narrative in the states where the elections are due later this year, claiming that the BJP “put in thousands of crores of rupees” to control it during the Bharat Jodo Yatra but couldn't it.
The opposition is “60% of India's population” and “BJP is in for a surprise in 2024,” he added.
Gandhi alleged that the opposition parties are facing attacks from several corners - from media as well as financially.
"Go and ask any businessman in India what happens to them if they support an opposition party. If they were to write a cheque for any opposition party, ask them what happens to them. So we are facing a financial attack, a media attack and we're doing pretty well. We are not fighting now a political party, we are fighting the Indian state and we are fighting to defend the idea of India. And that is why we have given our name INDIA."
