Valladolid (Spain): it is important for Congress Don’t be complacent after defeating BJP in Karnataka, says Congress MP as voters can change their behavior between state and national elections Shashi Tharoor,
To prove his point, he cited the poor performance of the Congress in the 2019 general elections after victories in the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh last year.
The author-politician said, the party cannot assume that “because it works in a state, it can work at the national level”.
“In 2018, we not only emerged as the single largest party in Karnataka, but also won in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. and yet, when Lok Sabha Elections Come those states, the BJP defeated us… and even in Karnataka they left us with just one seat in the Lok Sabha.
“So if voters can change their behavior in a matter of months, between state elections and national elections, it’s important for us not to become complacent.”
Congress had won 135 out of 224 seats. karnataka assembly electionsIn the elections held in May this year, it left the BJP behind with 66 seats.
According to the Thiruvananthapuram MP, having a “strong and effective local leadership” and emphasis on local issues helped the Congress win in Karnataka.
“(Congress) president Kharge himself is from Karnataka, Gandhi siblings came and campaigned, but local leaders did a lot of leadership on the ground. Emphasis on local issues, local engagements, economic issues, infrastructure issues, all of these in Bangalore. The Congress focused on what matters to the voters.
The BJP’s campaign, on the other hand, was “very top-down and centre-driven”.
“At the local level, they were very incompetent and that is why people know that PM Modi and Shah are not going to run the government in Karnataka. Whatever he had to say was rejected by the voters, whereas when you think about who is really going to be in charge in Karnataka and you look at what the BJP was offering in the last four and a half years, people thought That it is not enough for us, we need change.’
In Tharoor’s view, it is clear that issues such as “hijab, halal, Tipu Sultan and defaming Muslims” have a shelf life and limited use.
Discussing the rift among various Congress leaders, he said differences within the party ranks are natural.
Over the past few years, rifts within the Congress have repeatedly made headlines – for example, between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
karnataka election Tension was also rife over who would be the chief minister, Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar.
It is natural for people to have personal ambitions in politics. They may be committed to the party’s ideology and the party’s overall agenda, but people may feel that they are better equipped to advance that agenda.
“I am happy to say that the Congress has a relatively more democratic culture, in the sense that people feel free to talk to the leadership and speak freely. I think it is a reflection of freedom to express one’s views question, though ideally it should be done privately and within the party and not in a public place,” he said.
Last year, Tharoor contested the party president’s election against senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
“There are people who have expressed strong views and dissent. In my own case, I conducted the presidential election and lost but at least the party provides scope for that. Smt. Sonia Gandhi told me that it has strengthened the party And I will take his word for it,” the Congress leader said.
Tharoor attended the literature festival to talk about his book “The Inglorious Empire”. They attended sessions to discuss topics ranging from India’s colonial past to international relations Ukraine-Russia crisis,
To prove his point, he cited the poor performance of the Congress in the 2019 general elections after victories in the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh last year.
The author-politician said, the party cannot assume that “because it works in a state, it can work at the national level”.
“In 2018, we not only emerged as the single largest party in Karnataka, but also won in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. and yet, when Lok Sabha Elections Come those states, the BJP defeated us… and even in Karnataka they left us with just one seat in the Lok Sabha.
“So if voters can change their behavior in a matter of months, between state elections and national elections, it’s important for us not to become complacent.”
Congress had won 135 out of 224 seats. karnataka assembly electionsIn the elections held in May this year, it left the BJP behind with 66 seats.
According to the Thiruvananthapuram MP, having a “strong and effective local leadership” and emphasis on local issues helped the Congress win in Karnataka.
“(Congress) president Kharge himself is from Karnataka, Gandhi siblings came and campaigned, but local leaders did a lot of leadership on the ground. Emphasis on local issues, local engagements, economic issues, infrastructure issues, all of these in Bangalore. The Congress focused on what matters to the voters.
The BJP’s campaign, on the other hand, was “very top-down and centre-driven”.
“At the local level, they were very incompetent and that is why people know that PM Modi and Shah are not going to run the government in Karnataka. Whatever he had to say was rejected by the voters, whereas when you think about who is really going to be in charge in Karnataka and you look at what the BJP was offering in the last four and a half years, people thought That it is not enough for us, we need change.’
In Tharoor’s view, it is clear that issues such as “hijab, halal, Tipu Sultan and defaming Muslims” have a shelf life and limited use.
Discussing the rift among various Congress leaders, he said differences within the party ranks are natural.
Over the past few years, rifts within the Congress have repeatedly made headlines – for example, between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
karnataka election Tension was also rife over who would be the chief minister, Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar.
It is natural for people to have personal ambitions in politics. They may be committed to the party’s ideology and the party’s overall agenda, but people may feel that they are better equipped to advance that agenda.
“I am happy to say that the Congress has a relatively more democratic culture, in the sense that people feel free to talk to the leadership and speak freely. I think it is a reflection of freedom to express one’s views question, though ideally it should be done privately and within the party and not in a public place,” he said.
Last year, Tharoor contested the party president’s election against senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
“There are people who have expressed strong views and dissent. In my own case, I conducted the presidential election and lost but at least the party provides scope for that. Smt. Sonia Gandhi told me that it has strengthened the party And I will take his word for it,” the Congress leader said.
Tharoor attended the literature festival to talk about his book “The Inglorious Empire”. They attended sessions to discuss topics ranging from India’s colonial past to international relations Ukraine-Russia crisis,