PM Modi is no longer appealing to people of Gujarat: Jignesh Mevani

Congress leader Jignesh Mevani pitches for a Congress surge in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee working president Jignesh Mevani, who is representing Vadgam in Banaskantha district, exudes confidence that the Congress will romp home with success in the coming Gujarat Assembly elections. Accompanied by his friend and Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, Mr. Mevani filed his nomination on Tuesday.

Q / What are the challenges for the Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat?

A / We are better placed than last time. We have karyakartas in each and every booth. We have ‘ jan mitras’ in every panchayat and our Parivartan Sankalp Yatra across the State has begun. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is visiting Gujarat frequently. Secondly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is no longer appealing, accepting and exciting to the people of Gujarat. In rallies where they [the BJP] are able to mobilise 40,000 to 50,000 people, most of them are government employees. Instructions are being given to the district administration to bring ASHA and Anganwadi workers, police constables, and mid-day meal employees [to the rallies]. People are not voluntarily coming to their rallies. For the first time, I’m of the view that BJP and RSS cadre are not very enthusiastically defending Mr. Modi. Earlier, when someone used to say something against Mr. Modi, they would go berserk. Not anymore. People started saying that ‘Dadagiri aur Tanashahi bahut badgai hai BJP ki’.

Q / What do you think are planks on which Congress is campaigning on?

A / While reacting and responding to what BJP and RSS have done, we have come up with a positive, proactive, progressive blueprint to create a new Gujarat. Our leader Rahul Gandhi has already promised schemes like free medical insurance of ₹10 Lakh, implementing old pension scheme, setting up 3,000 English medium schools, ₹4 lakh compensation for those who lost their family members due to COVID-19, loan waiver for farmers and housing plot or agricultural lands for landless people. We are focusing on unemployment and inflection. Inflection is ‘the issue’ during this election. Be it middle-class, lower middle-class, farmers, SCs, STs, or minorities, everybody is suffering from price rises. Apart from the exploitation of outsourcing and contractual employees by the current government.

Q / Will AAP dent Congress votes as claimed by the BJP?

A / I don’t think so. If elections were held tomorrow, they (AAP) would draw a big zero. Making noise on social media and organising town halls doesn’t mean that their organisational base is strong here and they can win the elections. Our party has a strong grassroots base, and even if they cut our votes, what is their commitment to fighting against the fascist forces to save the Indian Constitution and democracy, which is captured and monopolised by Hindustav forces. Like Christophe Jaffrelot has rightly said in his book Modi’s India that the kind of ethnic democracy Modi, BJP and RSS tries to establish will further embolden and enhance the forces like AAP, which is a risk for the nation. It simply means BJP will have a similar kind of force in opposition, a force which has no idea about this country.