New Delhi: Political strategist Prashant Kishor Friday took a jibe at the Congress’ outreach to the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh, calling it an attempt at “quick-fix solutions” and “spontaneous revival of the GOP (Grand Old Party)”. This led to a sharp rebuke from the Congress, which said it “doesn’t need his certificate”.
Kishor worked with the Congress as a strategist in the 2017 poll season, and a series of meetings between him and the Gandhis has triggered speculation over the past few months that he might join the party. Reports suggested the meetings were aimed at talks about reviving the party for the upcoming state polls in 2022, and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
However, in a tweet Friday, Kishor said “there are no quick-fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness of GOP”.
People looking for a quick, spontaneous revival of GOP led opposition based on #LakhimpurKheri incident are setting themselves up for a big disappoinment.
Unfortunately there are no quick fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness of GOP.
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) October 8, 2021
While Kishor didn’t explicitly name any leader, it was seen in Congress circles as a veiled dig at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi, both of whom Wednesday met with the families of those killed in Lakhimpur Kheri.
Priyanka left for Lakhimpur Kheri Sunday night but was stopped by police personnel and put in custody. She was subsequently allowed to travel to the residence of the victims.
Kishor’s remark has not gone down well with the Congress.
Speaking to ThePrint, UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu said the party “doesn’t need his certificate”.
“Prashant Kishor is not a politician. Congress doesn’t need his certificate. We need the blessings of the people of UP, that’s all,” Lallu said.
“People might think that the Congress is the smallest in numbers in the UP assembly. But we are the strongest opposition force in the state despite the small numbers. No other opposition party has shown our rigour,” he added.
Lallu said the public can see that Priyanka Gandhi is “fighting for the ordinary masses”. “Whether it’s Hathras, or the farmers, Priyanka ji has been at the forefront of this fight for the ordinary people. That can’t be discounted,” he said.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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