BSP may come on board for 2019 Lok Sabha election: Rahul
New Delhi, Oct 5 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi Friday said BSP chief Mayawati's decision not to have an alliance with his party in Madhya Pradesh will not impact its poll prospects in the state even as he suggested that the BSP may come on board for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati announced early this week that her party would not forge an alliance with the Congress "at any cost" for the upcoming assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, dealing a blow to the opposition's efforts to stitch a united front against the ruling BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
"The alliance in the state and the alliance in the centre are different and I think Mayawatiji has sort of indicated that...I don't see the BSP alliance impacting us much in Madhya Pradesh. It would have been a good thing to have them, but I think we will win the election in Madhya Pradesh, in Chhattisgarh. I think, in the national election, the parties will come together, particularly in Uttar Pradesh," he said at the HT Leadership Summit.
Asked if he does not rule out having an alliance with BSP in Lok Sabha polls, he said, "That is an indication we have."
He said the two parties were in conversation with each other on an alliance in Madhya Pradesh and claimed he was "more flexible" than the state Congress leaders on seat-sharing but the BSP decided to go its own way.
Announcing her decision to go it alone in the state polls, Mayawati had said that even though the Congress chief and his mother Sonia Gandhi appeared to be in favour of an alliance, there were other "senior leaders" who worked to foil any possibility of an understanding.
Mayawati alleged the Congress had not mended itself and like the BJP "betrayed" her party.
Gandhi also said that he would become prime minister if the allies want him, but the first step is for all parties to get together and defeat the ruling BJP.
It's a two-stage process and a decision on who will be prime minister comes second, Gandhi said.
"We have had discussions with allies and what we decided is that this is a two stage process -- one is to get together and defeat BJP and stage two is, once the election is over then we will decide what happens," the Congress president explained.
Probed further about the possibility of him becoming prime minister, Gandhi said, "If they (allies) want me, sure...I will."
Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and its ideological fountainhead RSS, Gandhi said a single, suffocating ideology is being imposed upon 1.3 billion Indians.
"There is an ideological war taking place and the people who define the BJP ideology are the RSS. The ideological centre that is fighting the BJP can only be the Congress," he said.
"I am ready to take criticisms and questions. Why can't the prime minister do the same. India desperately needs healing and listening and all sections want it," he said.
He also attacked the government on various fronts, including demonetisation, foreign policy, mounting non-performing assets of banks, and governance.
The Congress chief, answered questions on a range of issues, including his temple visits and noted that "it not just irritated the BJP, but infuriated them".
Gandhi said he has been going to temples, gurudwaras and mosques for years, but the issue of his visits to temples has suddenly been publicised.
"I guess, this type of thing, it irritates the BJP, they feel that only they can go to temples. I don't know, may be they don't like it.
"I don't see why I can't go to a gurudwara, a church on a mosque. If somebody invites me to something they believe in, me not going there is actually insulting. I, as a political leader, if I'm invited by someone, I need to reach out and I need to stand with those people, but for some reasons it irritates the BJP. It actually infuriates them, because they have a sense of monopoly," he said.
Gandhi said the BJP and the RSS want to have monopoly on everything they deal with and want to have monopoly on institutions, on who goes to temples, that being their nature.
"But, that is not India's nature. India's nature is 1.3 billion imaginations and you really can't suppress them...So, re-imagining India to me is allowing those 1.3 billion imaginations to thrive.
"Re-imagining in India for the BJP and the RSS is to shut down that imagination of 1.3 billion people and impose one big imagination on top. I mean, it's ineffective, it's boring. I can give you a list of adjectives," he said.
Gandhi said after his criticism by BJP/RSS, he has developed a thick skin and is not disturbed by it. "My response is to listen."
"Leadership is an evolution. It is something which is constantly changing and you learn. At least in my evolution, I am going much more into listening to people and trying to understand them," Gandhi said.
He added that while he does not see India in silos, he believes every Indian is a stakeholder. He also said that the Congress does not need cadres like the RSS, whose aim is to capture India's institutions. The Congress does not want to do that, he added.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
