BJP wants to ensure a guarded approach, harping on ‘dynasty’ and ‘entitlement’ factors, but no direct attack on Priyanka.
New Delhi: As the Congress threw a curveball Wednesday announcing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s official entry into politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to slam the party’s ‘dynasty’ culture and question Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
The party was, however, careful not to target her directly or go shrill on the issue of her husband Robert Vadra’s controversial business dealings.
Highly placed BJP sources said this is a cautious strategy the party brass is attempting to adopt — to raise the pitch on the dynasty factor plus questioning Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, while not aggressively attacking Priyanka herself which might “allow her to play the sympathy card with the BJP being seen as disrespecting her”.
Priyanka, Gandhi’s sister, has been named general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh — the home turf of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and a difficult region for the Congress.
Also read: Priyanka delayed political debut over worries of what Modi govt would do to Robert Vadra
What they said
On Wednesday, Union Minister and BJP Lok Sabha election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh J.P. Nadda tweeted, “Priyanka Gandhi furthered the legacy of Gandhi Congress Pvt Limited and officially becomes the General Secretary of @INCIndia. It is also the first official declaration from congress that they don’t have trust in Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.”
Another Union Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, didn’t cut down on sarcasm saying, “Priyankaji has become General Secy, my good-luck to her. Since party is a family concern, these kinds of postings are nothing unusual, except to say with a caveat, why she has been given limited role of only Eastern UP? Perhaps her persona merited a wider role for her.”
Not to be left behind, Union Minister Smriti Irani, who put up a spirited fight against Gandhi in his hometurf Amethi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, said Priyanka’s entry meant the Congress had “accepted Rahul Gandhi’s failure”.
BJP spokespersons wasted no time either.
“I congratulate Congress for announcing that Rahul Gandhi is a failure. They have done this by elevating Priyanka Gandhi,” national BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said.
“Congress is focusing only on one family. They consider family as the party while BJP considers party as the family,” Patra said.
Also read: Priyanka Vadra could be the loose cannon both BJP & SP-BSP combine are wary of
A guarded approach
Sources say the party high command wants to ensure a careful and guarded strategy — harping on the ‘dynasty’ and ‘entitlement’ factors — but not giving Priyanka or the Congress a chance to play victim.
Modi has already set the “naamdar” (the one with the name) versus “kaamdar” (the one who works hard) narrative, and would look to slot Priyanka’s entry into the same.
However, the party does not want to take on Priyanka aggressively, which it believes will give a useful weapon to the Congress and the leader herself.
“We don’t want to be seen as targeting or disrespecting Priyankaji. That might go against us and we might end up giving her and her party a chance to exploit the sympathy factor,” said a highly placed source in the party who did not wish to be identified.
“The attacks have to be subtle and more on the larger issue of dynasty, as well as questioning Rahul Gandhi’s failed leadership,” said the source.
Now that she has entered public life it is for people to judge and BJP or any other party should focus more on issues rather than Gandhi family. If BJP thinks it is family so also Sangh parivar operates from Nagpur. If Modi is important for BJP so also Gandhis
Agree with you. BJP has committed some fundamental mistakes in trying to assert itself (one being shunning the press). they have taken things for granted and counted votes before they are cast, while not building scenarios that could put their entire strategy into disarray. It is time to focus on issues unless Modi wants to take the risk of personality based politics by entering into a one-to-one TV debate.
Dynasty is a weapon that has got blunted, for everyone is sailing in the same boat. Even Ms Mayawati and Ms Mamata Banerjee are grooming their nephews. Not attacking one’s adversary personally is good sanskaar and good politics, the forbearance need not be confined to Ms Priyanka. The other end of the spectrum is MLA Sadhana Singh, who must have cost her party a million Dalit votes, all over the country.