This poll will see urban people's ire: Congress' Paresh Dhanani

Dhanani explains how the anti-incumbency mood against the Centre and state govt will play in Congress' favour in Gujarat

From giving a near scare in the recent 2017 state assembly elections to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to losing key legislative members to the latter ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019, the Congress party in Gujarat may seem to be losing the narrative. Not so, believes Paresh Dhanani, Congress' leader of opposition in Gujarat Legislative Assembly who has bagged a ticket from Amreli in the upcoming general election. In an interview with Vinay Umarji, Dhanani explains how the anti-incumbency mood against the Centre and state government will play in Congress' favour in Gujarat and why the party seems to be relatively silent ahead of elections. Edited excerpts:

You had a near win in 2017 before the BJP went on to form the government with simple majority. Has Congress let it slip since then?

It is a very wrong notion. We got 77 seats, there were four alliance partners that came up to 81. Out of the 16 constituencies, there were eight where we lost by below 1,000 votes, there were six where we lost by below 2,000 votes and two constituencies we lost below 3,000 votes. So, 81 plus 16 comes to 97 where we would have formed a government in Gujarat. People of Gujarat were in the mood of a change in regime in 2017 but we failed by mere margins. The people still have the same expectation: Which will be fulfilled in 2019 elections.

The common man in Gujarat is aware that despite a BJP rule in both Gujarat and Centre since last five years, no new work has been undertaken in the state; nor has Gujarat benefited from a BJP government at the Centre. As the then chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi had raised 107 questions with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime on issues Gujarat faced. After five years, the Gujarat Congress has been raising these same questions as the issues remain unresolved under his Prime Ministership.

In that case, what has been your strategy for the 2019 general elections?

We cannot compete with BJP’s crony money in campaigning. We are a farmers’ and common man’s party. Social media has also seen BJP silencing Congress’ voice. Verified Whatsapp and FB pages have been cancelled by the government through misuse of power. But our party workers known as jan mitra (public's friend) have conducting the ground work for us. More than 47,000 booths across the state have been covered and since last several months we have been running a door-to-door campaign. We have worked on our weaknesses within the party in Gujarat. Organisational strengthening within the Congress 

has also been a continuous process. We have devoted partyworkers who are revolutionary in a non-violent way.

The BJP has been a party that has misused government machinery to instill fear among common man and lost his trust. On the contrary, we have been regaining that trust that we lost in 2014 elections and we will soon see the results on May 23.  

Soon after the state assembly polls in 2017, Congress was confident of winning anywhere between 8-12 out of the total 26 Lok Sabha seats. Where do you stand now in your estimates?

There was a change in voting pattern between 2009 and 2014 where our vote share fell and the BJP gained. This was a combination of people’s ire against the Congress and the BJP’s machinations. However, it is now clearly visible on the ground that the pre-2014 promises have not been fulfilled by the BJP such as bringing black money back, addressing Article 370 in Kashmir, joblessness or farm loans. Not only has the ire against Congress subsided among the people of Gujarat but the charisma of Narendra Modi has waned and people are now coming to their senses. It is on the back of these issues that we believe the tide will turn in our favour and we are confident of winning all 26 seats in Gujarat. 

The Congress had said that it would announce candidates a year before but didn’t do so. Also, in recent months the party has seen a setback with some of its leaders joining the BJP. Is there a leadership deficit in Gujarat Congress now?

We did announce but only to the potential candidates, telling them to strengthen the party and asking them to join programmes to mobilise common man. The party has made efforts to identify potential candidates since last six months. And the names that the state leadership chose, the national leadership has also endorsed after people’s choice. Congress is a movement not a mere party, hence we don’t see such things as a setback.

Hardik Patel is unable to contest on a Congress ticket. There is also the possibility of Alpesh Thakor’s exit from the party. 

In a bid to hide their weaknesses and lack of integrity, the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has been spreading rumours of dissent and infighting within the Congress party. The Congress is both morally strong and united. This will be proved by our party workers in the upcoming elections. As far as Hardik is concerned, one needs to ask why is the government afraid of a 26-year-old youth contesting elections. The government has misused its power and presented half truths to prevent Hardik from contesting but I am confident that the people of Gujarat will reply through their votes. Also, BJP’s candidates are not adept at running government and so the ruling party is luring able leaders from the Congress by hook or crook. During the 2017 assembly polls, the BJP government in Gujarat struggled to make it to the 100-seat mark. Now, the party is preparing for Modi’s return after it loses 2019 elections to present him with an able government in Gujarat by luring able leaders from Congress.

The Congress has largely been known as a rural party, especially in Gujarat. Will the urban areas be a concern in the upcoming elections?

In any case, several people who have migrated from rural areas to urban areas irrespective of caste or religion are with the Congress and so are the farmers as well as small and medium enterprises in the non-urban areas. On the other hand, the urban areas house a large number of Gujarati businessmen who are very protective of their businesses and capital and, therefore, flexible in how they vote. As such the urban community is now divided. The voting pattern during polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where Congress won has seen a turn among urban areas where communities that never chose Congress voted for it. Similarly, in 2019, the urban people’s ire will emerge in voting.