Election strategist Prashant Kishor has revealed that his strategy for the Congress' revival through the much-hyped 600-slide presentation was not about defeating Narendra Modi, but about how to win India.
"My blueprint was all about how the Congress should regain its glory days. It wasn't about winning one or two elections. It was to help the Congress resurrect itself as a strong political force in the country," Kishor said in an interview to the BBC.
“It is not about how to defeat Modi, it is about how to win India. There is a fine but important difference between the two. The basis of the presentation was not about how to defeat the BJP or to win a particular state election,” he explained after hogging limelight for almost a fortnight with several rounds of meetings and presentations to the Congress leaders including party chief Sonia Gandhi.
The poll strategist said that while the BJP would remain in a strong position for some time to come, they were not invincible. Moreover, a resurgent Congress would be good for democracy, he added.
Acknowledging that there were some differences with Congress leaders, Kishor said there were also many points that they agreed on and decided would be good for the party’s fortunes if implemented. Discussions were held and a strategy was agreed on, Kishor added.
The former JD(U) leader was offered by the grand old party to come on board and remain actively involved in party affairs instead of giving consultations. But Kishor rejected the party’s offer to join due to a number of factors.
One of these was the Empowered Action Group (EAG), an eight-member decision-making body formed by the Congress to deal with the political challenges besieging it.
Kishor, who was invited to be a member of the EAG, found it “problematic” that the panel was not aligned with the Congress constitution. This may have led to contradictions and conflicts in the future, he said.
On the question of suggesting Priyanka Gandhi’s name for Congress president, Kishor said that this is a rumour. His first choice for this post is the current president Sonia Gandhi. He said that he definitely wants that the one who is the president of Congress should not be the leader of the Parliament Party.
He mentioned that he himself went to the Congress, and his stature in front of the Congress is not so big that it should come to him.
He said that if the Congress implements the suggestions made in his proposal, then it will definitely benefit. Regarding the future ahead, Kishor said that he will clear it in the next day or two.
When asked if he still talks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Kishor said that if the PM calls, then who will be the person in the country who will say that he will not talk. Kishor had worked for PM Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.