Cong ‘dramebaaz’ No. 1: BJP

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 23

Leader of the numerically powerful Thakur community in Gujarat, Alpesh Thakore today joined the Congress, while the BJP here described the move as “yet another antic of the dramebaaz number one party”.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Thakore had always been part of the NSUI (Congress’ student wing) and had even contested panchayat elections in Mehsana district on the Congress ticket, and lost.

“His (Thakore) father is also a zila adhyaksh (district president) of the party. Congress is dramebaaz number one and I am saying it with all responsibility about a party that participated in India’s freedom struggle,” Prasad said.

The BJP also predicted that the attempt by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to make “vote-based jodis” with young community leaders Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakore, Jignesh Mevani will backfire in the similar way as liaison with Akhilesh Yadav had in Uttar Pradesh.

“Congress has made it (Thakore joining the party) a big issue. It was always clear you (Rahul) do not do your homework. Now, it seems that even your scriptwriters do not do their homework. Politics of India is a serious business. But sometimes you are trending in Kazakhstan, sometimes in Indonesia and sometimes in Russia. Do something good here so that you can trend in India. The problem with Rahul is that he is yet to understand serious dynamics of economics and development. These are issues alien to him,” Prasad said as the Gujarat elections veer towards caste-based equations.

However, BJP leaders believe that ultimately other issues will play the decider. Hardik Patel is “treading carefully” on the Congress offer “on fear of losing credibility among Patidars”, they say, adding that even in the worst case scenario he will be able to influence only a “limited percentage” in the community.

“Around 22 of (BJP) MLAs are from the Patidar community. So at the best he may be able to influence only some percentage. Moreover, are people of Gujarat not aware that President (Ram Nath Kovind) belongs to the Koli (Dalit) community?” questioned a senior BJP leader.

BJP chief Amit Shah reportedly told an internal party meeting that if a section of Patidars do leave, new voters would join to support the BJP.

BJP leaders say though “jodis” (of Rahul with youth leaders) may work for optics, eventually development plans like the “roll-on, roll-off” (Ro-Ro) ferry service which PM Narendra Modi inaugurated yesterday will work for the majority voters.

On the Congress allegations that the Election Commission is helping the BJP, Prasad said: “These are desperate allegations. It is uncharitable to unleash these kinds of baseless allegations against the EC.”