In view of different social and political dynamics of the State, the Congress strategy in Karnataka of not projecting any leader for the post of Chief Minister will not work in Madhya Pradesh, said former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Aslam Sher Khan.
While talking to media persons here on Friday, Khan said, “The situation in Karnataka was quite different from Madhya Pradesh as besides people of that State, former Chief Minister Yedyurappa wanted to dethrone the BJP, therefore, people voted for Congress.”
On the contrary, in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress has to fight at two levels. It has to counter a simple, humble and a soft-spoken Chief Minister like Shivraj Singh Chouhan who enjoys a clean image among the rural people on the one hand and a support of the RSS network on the other hand,” Aslam said.
“I am of the opinion that for countering the 'Chouhan effect', the Congress has only the face of Union Minister of State for Energy (Independent Charge) Jyotiraditya Scindia and the party should not hesitate in doing so as the situation here is entirely different from Karnataka,” he said.
However, for countering the RSS network, he said without mincing any words, "The only person who knows BJP-RSS deep inside as well as outside is Congress General Secretary and former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, and he is capable enough to counter it at the grassroot level.”
While Scindia has the potential to encash on the anti-incumbency prevailing against the BJP rule, especially against its ministers and MlAs, Congress must ensure that Digvijay works quietly in the background so that it has a network right upto the booth level to counter RSS-BJP, he added.
Aslam also demanded that like Karnataka, the party should also give tickets after a thorough study of the profile of winnable candidates and also give due representation to minorities, dalits and tribals- who are the party's core vote base.