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After 40 years in the Congress, Ahmed Patel says the party needs young blood

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Senior leader bats for opposition unity ahead of 2019 general elections, questions BJP’s unlimited resources and election ‘management’.

New Delhi: Most famous for being previous Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s closest aide and political secretary, Ahmed Patel snatched victory from under the BJP brass’s nose in a controversial election to return to the Rajya Sabha for a fifth term last year.

Miffed, the BJP constantly targeted the senior leader during the Gujarat assembly election campaign. But Patel kept his usual low profile, speaking out only occasionally.

Now, in an exclusive conversation to ThePrint, Patel spoke about a range of topics, from his own political career to his association with Sonia Gandhi, to the leadership change in the Congress, and the need for opposition unity in 2019. Excerpts:

Rahul Gandhi campaigned extensively during the Gujarat elections. The party even managed to gather anti-BJP forces together. But despite that you lost the elections. Why?

Undoubtedly, Rahul-ji worked very hard in Gujarat. But there were lot of things at play. On one side, it was the power of the central government, the state government, various agencies, and a lot of resources. But credit goes to the people of Gujarat, who supported the Congress in a big way. We could restrict them to 99 seats when they were talking about winning 150 (of 182).

Of course, there were some mistakes from our side too, otherwise we would have formed the government.

Could you elaborate on the mistakes made by your party?

We lagged behind them in booth management. Also, the BJP did well in urban areas. However, the Congress cadre is encouraged by our performance in the state, and I am sure these issues will be sorted out with time.

You were constantly targeted by the BJP since the Rajya Sabha elections; the Prime Minister also attacked you in his campaign speeches…

The only motive behind dragging me into this with baseless allegations was to polarise the election. They brought Pakistan, certain other things, and they even said Ahmed Patel will be the chief minister of Gujarat. They tried their level best, but couldn’t get success this time. The people of Gujarat are smart enough to figure out what is going on.

But the BJP blames the Congress for dividing the people on caste lines for electoral benefits…

They say this because they prefer communalisation. They want to bring all other people, minus minorities, under this big communal umbrella for their electoral benefit.

Even the Congress is not talking about minorities anymore. Rahul Gandhi too is visiting temples to show his ‘Hindu’ side.

This is not correct. If you go through our manifesto, we are talking of all castes and communities. Unlike the BJP, we have never followed divisive politics.

What about Rahul’s temple visits?

It’s a systematic campaign against him by the BJP — to criticise him in whatever he does. Everyone knows how they are planting baseless stories through social media.

A new order is taking shape in the Congress after Rahul Gandhi has become the president of the party. Where do you see yourself in the new scheme of things?

I have worked for almost 40 years for the party. I became an MP when I was 27 years old. I was political secretary of the Congress president for more than 15 years. I have worked very closely with Indira-ji, Rajiv-ji and Sonia-ji. I am grateful to Rahul-ji for the respect he gives me. Whenever there is a meeting, he calls me. Whenever necessary, he consults me.

Now I shouldn’t expect a particular role in the party. Whatever role I will be given, I shall be happy do it. The party has given me a lot, and whatever work I can do at this age, I will try to do. But it’s time new, young faces should get a chance in the Congress, as they represent the future of the party as well as the country.

What’s the difference you see among the members of the Gandhi family you’ve worked with?

There is not much difference, apart from the fact that they are from different generations. They all are committed to the party and the country, and always keep the national interest above anything else.

You were spearheading the effort for opposition unity under Sonia Gandhi. Now we see parties like the SP and the BSP announcing they will go it alone in 2019. Do you see the opposition coming together from here on?

I am optimistic. You see, it’s a challenge before the country. If the judges of the Supreme Court are coming out to say that democracy is in danger, what else is left now? I am very sure that as the elections come closer, like-minded parties will come together in national interest. There is no other way for anyone. I shall also try my best.

How do you rate the NDA government’s performance after almost four years of being in power?

This government is a failure. There is unrest in the country. The youth, the farmers, the traders — everyone is agitated; not in one or two states, but across the country. Mere branding, publicity and event management won’t do. They need policies and planning, which they don’t have.

Whatever we did during UPA, they opposed us. Now they are doing the same thing, and it shows their bankruptcy of ideas.

But they are winning every election…

There are two opinions on this. It’s not how they are performing, but how they are managing elections that’s working in their favour. I don’t know from where they get so many resources. I have seen in Gujarat the kind of money they spent. I think opposition parties should come together and expose their tricks.

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