The Congress party on Monday said that it does not comment on remarks by select political consultants. The party was referring to observations shared by political strategist Prashant Kishor on the grand old party and its Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi.
Commenting on Kishor's non-charitable assessment of the grand old party and Rahul Gandhi, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said: "I do not answer on remarks by consultants. Talk about political people, what is there to answer on consultants?"
Prashant Kishor's two cents on Congress, Rahul Gandhi
In an interview with news agency PTI, Kishor pointed out that the Congress suffers from structural challenges. He also said that Rahul Gandhi should consider taking a break if the Congress does not get desired results in the upcoming general elections.
The political strategist, who has been associated with many successful poll campaigns in the past, said despite Mallikarjun Kharge being the Congress chief, Rahul Gandhi is running the show for all practical purposes.
He said the Gandhi scion has been unable to either quit or let somebody else take charge despite his inability to perform in the last 10 years, calling this tendency "anti-democratic".
"When you are doing the same work for the last 10 years without any success, then there is no harm in taking a break... You should allow someone else to do it for five years. Your mother did it," Kishor said. After her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991, Sonia Gandhi decided to steer clear from politics and let P V Narasimha Rao take the lead.
Under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, the Congress contested two Lok Sabha elections. In the 2014 polls, the grand old party received the worst drubbing from the voters as it was reduced to merely 44 seats. In 2019, this number went slightly up to 52. Following the defeat in 2019, Rahul Gandhi stepped down as Congress president.
PK on Congress' claims against institutions
Kishor also rejected the argument that the grand old party faced electoral setbacks due to institutions (Election Commission, judiciary and the media). He said that this is not the complete truth as the Congress was reduced from 206 to 44 seats in 2014, when it was in power and the BJP had little influence over institutions.
Prashant Kishor on Amethi, Hindi heartland states
Not only this, Kishor also took Rahul Gandhi to task for his unwillingness to contest from the Gandhi family pocket borough Amethi. He said there is no point in winning from Wayanad if Rahul Gandhi cannot secure a win or get a sizeable margin in the Hindi heartland-- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
He also said that strategically, Gandhi abandoning Amethi will send a wrong message among voters. "If you do not win in UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, there is no benefit if you win from Wayanad. Strategically, I can say that letting that space (Amethi) go will only send a wrong message," he said.
Kishor mentioned that the Congress cannot win India by securing a victory in Kerala alone. He also cited the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who in 2014 contested from Varanasi with his seat in Gujarat because you cannot win India unless you win the Hindi heartland or secure a significant margin there.