Prashant Kishor fires fresh salvo at Cong; says BJP is here to stay

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor did some plain talking in Goa stripping away any illusions people may have of the BJP disappearing from India’s political firmament anytime soon. And, he also fired a new salvo at the Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi in particular.

Kishor burst the bubble in a talk on Wednesday when during a recent Q and A session, he told his audience that the BJP is not going anywhere for “many decades” and they would remain in the centre of Indian politics for many years to come. More pertinently, Kishor also added the rider that the problem with the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is that he does not realise that the BJP is here to stay, said media reports.

NDTV reported that these “truth bombs” from Kishor seemed to further prove that his talks with the Congress and the Gandhis to handle their election campaigns have collapsed.

According to a clip which has been shared on social media, Prashant Kishor is heard saying that whether the BJP wins or loses, they would remain at the centre of Indian politics for many years to come, much like the way the Congress did in the first 40 years after independence.

Also read: Prashant Kishor takes a dig at Congress as Gandhis make news in UP

“The BJP is going nowhere. Once you secure 30 per cent plus votes at the India-level you are not going away in a hurry,” said Kishor, adding one should not fall into this trap that people are getting angry and they will throw away (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi.

Further, he pointed out in a reasonable tone, “Maybe they will throw away Modi but BJP is not going anywhere. They are going to be here, they are to fight it out for the next many decades.”

Kishor went on to criticise the Congress leadership spouting more blunt truths which may be hard for Indian politicians to bear. Rahul Gandhi, he said, thinks it’s just a matter of time that people will throw him (Modi) away. But that’s not happening, predicted Kishor, who played a big role in Mamata Banerjee’s resounding win (and BJP’s humiliating defeat) in the West Bengal Assembly elections.

What’s more, like a management guru he advised that unless you examine, understand and take cognizance of (PM Modi’s) strength, you will never be able to put (in place) a counter to defeat him.

Eventually, Prashant Kishor acknowledged that BJP will continue to be a force to reckon with in Indian politics for decades to come.
That’s what @amitshai Ji declared way too earlier. pic.twitter.com/wqrqC3xzaZ

— Ajay Sehrawat (@IamAjaySehrawat) October 28, 2021

The BJP was quick to cash in on Kishor’s plainspeak. BJP leader Ajay Sehrawat tweeted the clip adding that eventually, Prashant Kishor acknowledged that BJP will continue to be a force to reckon with in Indian politics for decades to come. “That’s what Amit Shah Ji declared way too earlier,” he wrote.

Besides scripting Mamata Banerjee’s tremendous victory, Kishor also added MK Stalin’s impressive win in Tamil Nadu to his portfolio. But his public statements seem to indicate that his talks with the Gandhis have flopped, said the NDTV report.

Earlier this month too, Kishor hit out at the grand old party throwing a spotlight on the “deep-rooted” problems in the Congress. He squashed any belief that Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s highly-publicised move to meet the families of the farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh – and their widely-reported confrontation with the police – would result in any kind of a  “quick, spontaneous revival” of a Congress-led opposition. He cautioned people not to fall for this narrative.

Unfortunately, he added that there are no “quick fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness” of the Congress.

After the West Bengal elections earlier this year, there were talks of Kishor meeting the Gandhis for a role in the Congress.

But the talks reportedly broke down largely because Kishor had demanded a free hand to overhaul the party. He had reportedly also did not want to get involved in the five state elections next year, and had asked to prep for the 2024 national election instead.

Obviously, from his statements at every opportunity and to all and sundry, it seems Kishor, at least, may not turn out to be the saviour of the Congress.