Congress still in driver's seat in MP; in touch with parties for 'possible alliance': Scindia
New Delhi, Oct 14 : Unfazed by the BSP's decision to not align with the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said Sunday the party is "still in the driver's seat" and in touch with all "possible partners" in the poll-bound state.
Scindia, who is spearheading the Congress campaign in Madhya Pradesh, also said the entire state leadership and party cadre was "working cohesively" to chart out the party's plan to dislodge the BJP government after "14 years of misrule".
Asked if the BSP could cut into the Congress' vote share, he told PTI in an interview that: "I don't think so. Obviously, the alliance would have had its own benefits, but as things stand today, support for the Congress is running deep in Madhya Pradesh. The workers are motivated and the people are looking to us for change. So, we are definitely still in the driver's seat."
Replying to a query about a possible tie-up with the Samajwadi Party and the Gondwana Gantantra Party after Bahujan Samaj Party's decision to not align with the Congress in the state, Scindia said, "We are in touch with all possible partners -- our ultimate goal is to beat the Bharatiya Janata Party. We are not currently ruling out the possibility of an alliance."
His remarks come days after BSP chief Mayawati announced her party will not forge an alliance with the Congress "at any cost" for the upcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
However, he said the general election next year will be a "different ball game altogether" and if state alliances don't work out, the possibilities still exist for a coalition in 2019.
Scindia said the party's "driving mantra" is 'Waqt hai badlaav ka' (It is time for change), and added that this is "not a slogan, this is a reality, a commitment to change".
"We are not fighting this election on the Modi or Shivraj factor but the 'people factor'. The people of Madhya Pradesh have suffered from the BJP rule for 14 years. Everywhere we look, the people are exasperated and angry," the MP from Guna said.
Talking about the issues that the Congress will raise during the campaign, Scindia said the party will take the fight to the streets. "We are focusing on some key issues -- farmer distress across the state, complete breakdown of law and order, especially rising cases of crimes against women, unemployment, and massive corruption, be it Vyapam, e-tender or sand-mining."
The state will go to polls on November 28 and counting of votes will be held on December 11.
Asked what was different internally in the Congress organisation as compared to the past three elections and whether differences between senior leaders had been sorted, Scindia said the party was united and there were regular meetings on key matters, including on overhauling the organisation, reviving and rejuvenating party cadres and strengthening the system at the district and block level.
"We understand that to fight the BJP, we will have to go down to the booth level and fight. Under Congress President Rahul Gandhi's uniting leadership, we are working as a single INC unit, coming together under the umbrella of a common vision and mission for the development of Madhya Pradesh," the 47-year-old leader said.
On opinion polls putting the Congress marginally ahead of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Scindia said he believes his party is "in the lead".
The people are now looking to the Congress for change and are hopeful that the party will bring a wave of development, progress and honesty, the former Union minister said.
Asked if the Congress was bargaining hard as a result of which state-level alliances were failing and damaging prospects of a grand alliance in 2019, Scindia said the party was trying to build reasonable alliances that were mutually beneficial for all involved actors, and one that will be able to give the BJP a strong fight.
"For example, in Madhya Pradesh, there was clearly a mismatch between the BSP's vote share and the seats they were demanding obviously, that would not be strategically-beneficial for us. So, it is not about bargaining hard for the sake of debate, it is about reaching the most effective agreement," he said.
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Pak police registers case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on LeT co-founder
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Lahore (PTI): Pakistan's Punjab Police on Friday registered a case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza, who suffered bullet injuries in the attack in Lahore.
On Thursday, two unidentified gunmen riding on a bike opened fire on the vehicle of the private TV channel 24NewsHD TV, owned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, on Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office.
In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries.
"The FIR has been registered against unidentified gunmen, but it is sealed forthwith," a senior police officer told PTI.
He said the intelligence agencies have taken over this case from the police, and they are currently investigating the matter.
The channel's religious programme host Justice (retd.) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi and Hamza were in the vehicle when it was attacked. Hamza was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Punjab police on Friday said that "upon receiving information about the incident, the SSP Operations immediately reached the scene and a high alert was imposed in the area. SSP Operations Tauqeer Naeem also met the affected individuals. Thankfully, all present in the vehicle remained safe during the firing."
It further said senior police officers of the Township and Chung, along with a heavy police contingent, were present at the scene.
"Police collected evidence from the site and initiated an investigation. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway using CCTV footage and geo-fencing techniques. Search and sweep operations are being conducted at various locations, with scrutiny of suspicious individuals ongoing," police said.
It added that those involved in the incident will be traced and arrested soon.
The police sources said that Hamza has been shifted to his residence in Jauhar Town, Lahore, where police and agency personnel met him.
The leadership of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD), including Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed, also called on him.
TV host retired Justice Ghazi, who remained unhurt in the attack, remained a legal counsel for Hafiz Saeed, they said.
The PMML has strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded that those involved in the incident be arrested immediately.
Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases.
Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT's "special campaigns" department.
In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT following a ban on the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation by the Pakistani government.
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