Ahead of the crucial Gujarat elections, the Congress party has been actively seeking out powerful leaders of different caste communities. A prominent OBC strongman Alpesh Thakor of the BJP has defected to the Congress party, even as talks with the Patidar leader Hardik Patel are underway. Its complex caste formulations have given some hope to the beleaguered Congress party in Gujarat, which has been under the BJP rule for almost two decades.
Can Congress use caste to challenge BJP’s ‘Hindutva-Vikas’ in Gujarat elections?
Casteism and development are two different things. Comparing the two won’t be right.
If we see the present scenario, the main priority of Gujaratis is vikas (growth) and development, not casteism. They know how and under whose leadership Gujarat climbed the ladder of success and progress.
By invoking casteism, one cannot rule over the country or state. People know the real Congress and will not let them divide our country on caste. Our country will only unite in the name of development.
Offering prayers and going to temples during the time of elections is not the solution, it will not wash away your sins committed during your tenure. On one side, you go to temples and on the other, saying: “Have you ever seen women in shorts in RSS?”
When democracy is absent inside the party itself, when the Gandhi family is always seen standing in the first row for the leadership, do you think they will even think of the common man?
Here are other sharp perspectives in the same Talk Point by:
– Anshuman Kumar, Associate Editor, ThePrint
– Sheela Bhatt, National Affairs Editor, NewsX
– Pravin Mishra, Associate professor, MICA School of Ideas
– Ruhi Tewari, Associate Editor, ThePrint
Our PM too believed that Congress is a party that is now only about ‘Bhrashtachaar’, ‘Pariwaarwaad’, ‘Jaatiwaad’.
And as it has been rightly said by Amit Shah ji that “The objective is to build a strong India which is free from casteism, corruption, regionalism as well as the Congress.” The party workers will work toward achieving this target.
Harsh Sanghavi is an MLA, Gujarat