In a scathing attack on the Congress’ first family — the Gandhis — Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said that with the family members “boycotting” Lord Ram, it is indeed the end of the road for them in Uttar Pradesh. Neither Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, nor their kin would ever dare to enter the electoral fray in the State, which has been the undisputed bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family for decades.
With speculation suggesting that Sonia, Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party and the longest-serving Congress president, may enter the Rajya Sabha, and considering that Rahul, who already faced defeat in the 2019 elections, is still pursuing seats in southern India, Thakur said, “Unke kadam ab ladakhadane lage hain” (they are literally stumbling now). This comes after their disrespectful stance towards Ram, a symbol of Hinduism, and it is now well-known that they harbour affinity towards Babri Masjid.
“The Gandhis are no longer suitable for electoral contests. Look at their diminishing public outreach, regardless of their numerous journeys. They are against Lord Ram. This is the second-largest mistake Congress has made since 1975 (Emergency),” Thakur told The Pioneer.
While Sonia has represented Rae Bareilly for several terms, was represented by Rahul until 2019 when he was defeated by Smriti Irani. Sources indicate that while Sonia has the option to enter the Rajya Sabha, Rahul will again contest from his current Lok Sabha constituency in Wayanad, Kerala. Former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and other family members like Sanjay Gandhi have been elected to the Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.
Elaborating on the deteriorating public perception towards the country’s oldest party, Thakur said his statement can be affirmed and corroborated given the present state of affairs in the three states they are currently governing.
“They are facing challenges in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and the recently won Telangana. They came with a lot of pomp and show, and very soon, the popularity of the governments in these states is declining, along with a lot of infighting within. However, these issues are only going to help the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections and contribute more to the targets set by my party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Thakur, who now holds the Information and Broadcasting portfolio, further said.
He added that while Congress and its alliances are widely synonymous with corruption and a loss of credibility, the BJP is the only party that has lived up to realising its manifesto and, above all, its ideology. Thakur reminded that members of the Opposition, led by Congress, are either in jail or on bail, be it Sonia, Rahul, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, leaders of Mamata Banerjee’s party, and others.
“With full conviction, I can say that led by PM Modi, the BJP is perhaps the only party in the world that has met its ideology, and we have never played truant on this part like several other political parties. Modi is a big name now universally, and whatever the party has said since its inception has been almost achieved, and now we are working to meet the people’s expectations,” Thakur added.
On the preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls, Thakur said while it is being coordinated by the party, he was pleased to share that the BJP is working on strategic alliances, and more professional people are venturing to join the party.
The Union Minister said that Modi and the party have personally been keen on gaining ground in southern India. Towards the Ram temple consecration recently, the PM first visited the footprints of the legend Ram in southern India. He recalled the popularity of the Tamil Kashi Sangam cultural program, which is, in all, the vision of PM Modi, similar to the one he focused on specifically in the northeast states when Modi took over as PM in 2014.
“Look at the transformation in the North-East, which was deprived of development for decades. The PM created a separate ministry and various departments for focused and time-oriented development in the Northeastern region. Now, he has expressed his keenness in southern India, and just analyze his frequent visits; you would realise the popularity of Modi there as well,” the Minister further said.
Thakur also informed that the government’s mega outreach programme, Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, has crossed a key milestone by connecting with about 20 crore people who have taken a pledge to build a developed India by 2047, officials said.
“Thakur said the faith reflected by these 20 crore individuals will continue to grow, connecting Indians with public welfare schemes and contributing towards realizing the vision of a developed India visualized by PM Modi. “Our PM has ensured the last-mile delivery of systems to every beneficiary in every nook and corner of the country. Moving towards a developed India... 28 States, One Goal — Developed India,” Thakur added.
