‘BJP has failed on all fronts’: Rajasthan Congress leader Raghu Sharma
Raghu Sharma, Congress MP from Ajmer and Rajasthan campaign committee chairperson says that the BJP has cheated people and did not refer to its manifesto even once in five years of rule.
Member of Parliament from Ajmer and chairperson of Rajasthan Congress Campaign Committee Raghu Sharma spoke to Sachin Saini on issues that the party is planning to raise during the campaign for assembly elections .
What will be the focus area for Congress in the campaign?
Ours will be a positive strategy by preparing ‘Jan Ghoshna Patra’ (peoples’ manifesto). Any person or section can submit their suggestions online. The suggestions received will be analysed, after which the party’s manifesto will be made, this will be our document and the basis of our governance. This will happen for the first time in Rajasthan’s electoral history. When the government is formed, all promises will be fulfilled in five years. BJP, on the other hand, made 611 promises — from giving employment and depositing ₹15 lakh to increasing the minimum support price (MSP) for farmers. The reality now is that they have cheated people. It is unfortunate that they did not refer to their manifesto even once in five years and only told lies and catchphrases.
How does the Congress plan to counter the Ram temple issue?
They are talking about the temple for the past 30 years. They have government at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh with a clear mandate. What were they doing for so many days? They only raise the temple issue during elections but do nothing when they are in government. People have understood them. The BJP has failed on all the fronts and that is why it is talking about the temple.
How will the Congress take forward its election campaign?
Exposing the BJP, its failures and the promises it did not keep. Across the state, the Congress is taking its campaign in a planned and organised manner. The campaign committee is working in three phases – ticket distribution, withdrawal and polling - and has strategies worked out for each stage.
Any new programme that the party plans to launch as part of its campaign?
The Congress is planning a programme after Diwali - we will go door-to-door and give Diwali greetings and good wishes to young and old voters. Earlier, at the booth level, our party went with the slogan ‘Booth Jitao, Bhrashtachar Mitao (win booth, eradicate corruption). We have reached out to people at all the 51,000 booths through social media and in other ways. Let (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi or (BJP president Amit) Shah come, the BJP will be ousted from Rajasthan.
Has the party prepared its star campaigners’ list? Will UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi travel to the state?
The process (of creating the list) is on. Sonia Gandhi’s visit will be decided by the party’s central leadership. She is popular all over the country and Rajasthan is no different. Once the tickets have been distributed, our candidates will be asked who all they want to campaign for them. Senior leaders from the state and Delhi will coordinate based on the feedback they will receive from the candidates.
What’s new in terms of planning for the coming election?
Before the 2013 elections, everything that Narendra Modi and Vasundhara Raje were saying about oil prices, inflation, black money, corruption, and border security — if we run all those tapes for the public, then the Congress would not have to say anything. We have videos of Modi making statements such as on oil prices where he was holding the then PM (Manmohan Singh) responsible. But after coming to power, he is holding international markets responsible – let people decide now. We will win by a two-thirds majority.
