RSS real coffee, BJP just the frothy top: Prashant Kishor
Patna, Oct 30: Political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor on Sunday compared the BJP-RSS combine to a cup of coffee in which the party was like the frothy top and the parent body was the real thing underneath.
Kishor, who is on a 3,500 kilometres long "pada-yatra" in Bihar, came up with the colourful analogy at Lauria in West Champaran district which he has been covering on foot since October 2.
Kishor lamented that it took him long to realise that "the ideology of (Nathuram) Godse can be defeated only by reviving Gandhi's Congress" and "it would have been better had I worked in that direction instead of helping people like Nitish Kumar and Jagan Mohan Reddy realise their ambitions".
The IPAC founder, who has been sceptical of a united opposition's efficacy in halting the Narendra Modi juggernaut, emphasised that one cannot defeat the BJP unless one understands what it is.
"Have you ever looked at a cup of coffee? There is froth at the top. BJP is like that. Below that there is the deep structure of the RSS. The Sangh has wormed its way into the social fabric. It cannot now be beaten with shortcuts," said Kishor.
The political strategist's first claim to fame was his handling of Modi's poll campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, a spectacular success that helped the BJP get a majority on its own.
Kishor also continued to hurl barbs at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose JD(U) has been calling him a "BJP agent".
"I was the JD(U) national vice president when the nation was on the boil against CAA-NPR-NRC. I was appalled to learn that MPs of my party had voted in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament," recalled the 45-year-old, often perceived to be as ideologically agnostic.
"I confronted Nitish Kumar, who was then our national president. He claimed he was away on a tour and not aware of the development but glibly assured me that he will not allow NRC in Bihar. The duplicity made me realise I cannot work with this man," said Kishor who was expelled from JD(U) over the spat with Kumar.
Kishor, whose much-anticipated entry into the Congress could not fructify last year despite meetings with its top leaders, hinted that he still admired the organisation but in its old avatar under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Godse's ideology can be defeated only by reviving the Congress of Gandhi," said Kishor, in an oblique reference to alleged RSS links of the Mahatma's assassin.
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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.
