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HomePoliticsBJP sees silver lining as Congress ups ante on Rafale deal

BJP sees silver lining as Congress ups ante on Rafale deal

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BJP feels attack on Rafale enables it to raise corruption allegations against Congress again, and help avoid uncomfortable questions on key issues. 

New Delhi: The Congress has succeeded in bringing the Rafale issue back to the centrestage of national politics by forcing it to dominate the Parliament session, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claims to have a strategy in place as it sees a silver lining in the furore.

Highly placed sources in the party said the BJP top leadership feels being attacked over the Rafale deal enables it to make corruption allegations against the Congress a talking point again, while also relegating more inconvenient points of criticism against the government to the periphery.

Leading the charge for the party in the Parliament Wednesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched a stinging attack against the Congress and its leadership, harping on corruption allegations related to Congress-era defence deals like Bofors and AgustaWestland, as well as the National Herald case.


Also read: Congress falsehood on Rafale deal has fallen apart, says Arun Jaitley


Corruption vs corruption

“As the incumbent, it becomes difficult for us to talk about corruption scams under the Congress rule from five years ago. However, if they keep talking about Rafale, it gives us an opening to bring back corruption allegations against the Gandhi family to the forefront,” said a highly placed source in the party who did not wish to be named.

“This is precisely what the strategy during Mr. Jaitley’s Parliament speech was, and will be for the PM’s rally and campaign speeches as well,” the source said.

The BJP leadership also feels it is easier to make corruption allegations against the Gandhi family stick, than for the Congress to generate traction for questioning the integrity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Given the decades-long Congress rule and various scams, as well as the reputation of UPA 2, we feel it may be easier for us to whip up public sentiment against the Gandhis than for them to dent the PM’s image on corruption, given his popularity and goodwill,” the source added.


Also read: Why Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to play Rafale ‘bedroom’ tape in Lok Sabha


Escaping key issues

The party also feels the pointed focus on Rafale helps it avoid the more uncomfortable questions and issues.

With the Congress having snatched three heartland states from the BJP in the recent assembly elections, and the Lok Sabha polls barely months away, issues like the agrarian crisis, the continuing adverse effects of demonetisation, lack of jobs as well as the inability to have delivered on several of its ambitious promises can push the BJP to a corner, putting it on a sticky wicket while responding to these questions.

The party, however, feels that if Rafale dominates the discourse — to which it has a “convincing counter” — it can avoid other pressing issues.

“On Rafale, the Supreme Court has spoken. Plus, the PM has a clean image. And moreover, the Congress record on corruption isn’t flattering,” said another party leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“Thus, we have a convincing counter to Rafale allegations as far as voters are concerned. What we don’t have easy answers to are questions about why we have not delivered adequately on several fronts,” said the leader.


Also read: Why Rafale debate in Lok Sabha is crucial for Congress caught in Agusta crossfire


“If Congress harps on farmer crisis or joblessness, or even questions like why Rs 15 lakh hasn’t reached people’s bank accounts, our response will be more defensive and not enough,” the leader said.

The leader said that it wasn’t Rafale or corruption allegations at the Centre that lost the party the state elections.

“It was more pressing issues like farmer anger, a hurt business community and an affected unorganised sector. If Rafale can push these talking points to the backdrop, it may help us,” the leader added.

The BJP plans to use the prime minister’s speeches in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls to respond to corruption allegations against him, and carve out a more sympathetic narrative.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. The common man’s retort will be, or he will mumble it to himself: “all that is okay (Bofors etc), we have heard that before, but what about THIS?” (meaning, Rafale).

    Every time the BJP repeats old charges of Bofors etc as a retort to Rafale, the common man will conclude that the BJP is saying it as a defence, so it does have something to defend. “Daal mein kuchh kaala hai.”

    Despite all of Mr Jaitley’s oratory, the common man hasn’t got the answer to 1) why did you pay 1000 crores extra per plane 2) who will now manufacture the remaining 90 planes in India.

    We Indians have a suspicious mind: was Anil Ambani getting thousands of crores “just like that”? He must be passing on some “cut” to BJP or some individual(s).

    I mean no disrespect for Mr Modi, but mark my words — I can say it strictly as an observer of human psychology — if BJP loses the big elections in 2019, Mr Modi’s name will DIRECTLY start getting linked as a beneficiary. His frequent foreign jaunts, love for branded items including clothes, point towards a materialistic turn in his current thinking, no matter what he says about his humble past.

  2. The common man’s retort will be, or he will mumble it to himself: “all that is okay (Bofors etc), we have heard that before, but what about THIS?” (meaning, Rafale).

    Every time the BJP repeats old charges of Bofors etc as a retort to Rafale, the common man will conclude that the BJP is saying it as a defence, so it does have something to defend. “Daal mein kuchh kaala hai.”

    Despite all of Mr Jaitley’s oratory, the common man hasn’t got the answer to 1) why did you pay 1000 crores extra per plane 2) who will now manufacture the remaining 90 planes in India.

    We Indians have a suspicious mind: was Anil Ambani getting thousands of crores “just like that”? He must be passing on some “cut” to BJP or some individual(s).

    I mean no disrespect to Mr Modi, but mark my words — I can say it strictly as an observer of human psychology — if BJP loses the big elections in 2019, Mr Modi’s name will DIRECTLY start getting linked as a beneficiary. His frequent foreign jaunts, love for branded items including clothes, point towards a materialistic turn in his current thinking, no matter what he says about his humble past.

  3. This can be a double edged sword. There have been hundreds of scams since independence. Bofors, however, is the gold standard, brought down a government, after draining the vitality out of it. That is not diminished by its being a fine weapon or no convictions having been secured in a court of law. To speak of Bofors and Rafale in the same breath is to create a toxic moral equivalence.

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