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Congress game plan 2019 — an Amit Shah ‘speech counter’ to track his ‘vile’ comments

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Congress, which already has a Modi ‘speech counter’, believes Amit Shah will adopt aggressive rhetoric ahead of 2019 polls and wants to be ready to track & retort.

New Delhi: The Congress is all set to train its guns on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah by keeping track of his political speeches made in rallies ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

A senior Congress leader told ThePrint that the party already has a “Modi speech counter” that keeps an eye on all speeches that the Prime Minister makes, especially during campaigning. Now, a team is being put in place to monitor the speeches and rallies of Amit Shah.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, a Congress functionary said Shah being the president of the BJP addresses a number of rallies and makes “vile comments to misguide” voters, escalating the need to put in place a similar system for him. His rallies also are a crowd-puller, said another leader.

“Modi and Shah are the two main leaders of the BJP, and for 2019, Shah will be all the more aggressive in his speeches. Being the president of the BJP we have to keep a close watch on his rallies, speeches and statements,” said a senior functionary.

“Even during the recent assembly elections he made a lot of controversial statements and we have to be ready to counter it immediately.”

The “speech counter”, Congress leaders say, allows them to respond to allegations and claims made by the BJP functionaries.

“In the recent assembly elections that took place in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, a team monitored all Modi speeches and took note of important issues raised by him. There have been instances where he has given incorrect data or made false statements or even nasty and unpleasant comments,” said a senior Congress leader.

“A report is compiled and shared with all senior leadership, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi. They then decide whether to respond immediately through a press conference or through social media.”


Also read: The 2 faces of BJP chief Amit Shah — calm debater on TV & rabble-rouser at poll rallies


The ‘speech counter’

This formula of a “speech counter” and sending immediate reports was first used by the party during the Himachal Pradesh elections when soon after the speeches, a report would be compiled and the Pradesh Congress used to be given it as ammunition to counter the BJP.

“It is a small team of around 10-12 members and all have a separate task as far as keeping a check on political rallies, speeches and statements are concerned,” a Congress leader said.

The Congress leadership in the recent past has been interacting with its Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs at the Congress war room at the Gurudwara Rakabganj Road to strategise ahead of the 2019 general elections. Satisfied with its performance in the recent assembly elections, the party is all set to become more aggressive in its tone and tenor.

“We have done well in the assembly elections and our strategy has worked. So for 2019 also we have started early and a team is being put in place,” said another Congress leader.

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