Congress' leadership not divine right of an individual, says Prashant Kishor

Shortly after Mamata Banerjee’s “there is no UPA now” jibe against the Congress, as if on cue, poll strategist Prashant Kishor attacked the grand old party stating that its leadership is “not the divine right” of an individual. Especially, after the Congress has lost 90 per cent elections in the last ten years, he said, and pitched for Opposition leadership to be decided “democratically”.

Kishor, whose talks with the Congress earlier this year for a role in handling their election campaigns fell through, tweeted: “The IDEA and SPACE that #Congress represents is vital for a strong opposition. But Congress’ leadership is not the DIVINE RIGHT of an individual especially, when the party has lost more than 90% elections in last 10 years. Let opposition leadership be decided Democratically.”

Kishor’s cutting remark targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi comes a day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Congress for not doing enough to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After her meeting with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, she haad said, “There is no UPA now”. Completely brushing aside the national party as of no consequence, Banerjee seemingly overlooked the fact that her party had been in alliance with Congress till 2014, along with the NCP.

In no mood to pander to the Congress, Banerjee, also pointedly asked, “If one does nothing and is abroad half the time, then how will one do politics? For politics there should be continuous endeavour.”

Also read: ‘Strategist’ Prashant Kishor heads south to poach Congress leaders for TMC

However, Kishor, who is reportedly trying to foil any attempts of the Congress to steer the united Opposition leadership in the 2024 elections, had been taking potshots at the Congress for some time now. In October, Kishor had in Goa squashed any hopes people may be nurturing of banishing the BJP into political wilderness. The BJP is not going anywhere for “many decades”, said Kishor, urging people to wake up to this reality. He also added for good measure that the problem with Rahul Gandhi is that he does not realise it.

“BJP is going to be the centre of Indian polity… whether they win, whether they lose, like it was for the first 40 years for Congress. BJP is going nowhere…. That is where the problem lies with Rahul Gandhi probably. He thinks it’s just a matter of time that people will throw him (Modi) away. That’s not happening,” he had said, according to media reports.

Besides, he attacked the Congress for having “deep-rooted problems and structural weaknesses” and made it a point to “caution” anyone who banked on Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and believed that their moves to meet the families of the farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri will result in “quick, spontaneous revival” of a Congress-led Opposition. They will only be disappointed, he had warned.