Congress to start nationwide stir against three years of Modi govt

Has one eye on 2019 polls, alleges Centre failed to deliver on poll promises in three years

The Congress will soon launch a nationwide movement against the Narendra Modi government ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and will come out with a blueprint for alternative governance giving voice to the oppressed while roping in like-minded forces.

The party's alternative blueprint for governance would be pro-development but devoid of platitudes and false promises as it would oppose the imposition of a singular viewpoint by the RSS/BJP at present.

The Congress charged the Modi government, which had won a historic mandate on this day three years ago, had failed to deliver on its poll promises and released a video clip in support of its allegations.

As it attacked the Modi government for completing three years in office, the grand old party lined up an array of younger leaders like lawmaker Jyotiraditya Scindia, Rajasthan unit chief Sachin Pilot, former minister R P N Singh, lawmaker Sushmita Dev, Kannada actor and social media in charge Ramya along with chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala to pick holes in the government policies on various issues like foreign policy, internal security, job creation, agriculture growth and social justice.

More information on the failures of the central government subject wise would be unveiled across state capitals by party leaders over the coming days in the run up Modi's three years in office on May 26.

Much of the focus would be on states like Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, which will have assembly polls in 2017 and 2018.

According to Pilot, who will spearhead the movement against Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, the party cannot win back on mere rhetoric and needs to articulate its vision before the voters. The Congress, he said, would not make false promises like Modi did in 2014 but will be more transparent. The BJP, he observed, had turned into an election winning machine and lacked a political ideology after coming to power.

"They are ignoring key issues like joblessness and rural distress while banking more on disruptive concepts like ghar wapsi, anti-romeo squads and beef ban to win polls," said Pilot.

Surjewala noted the Congress has gone past its mistakes, learnt lessons from a string of poll defeats since 2014 and was now prepared to present a national alternative to BJP in the remaining 24 months of the Modi government.

Acknowledging the need for a stronger organization to mobilise people, the Congress will speed-up the AICC revamp over the coming weeks, he said.

Responding to the BJP, which termed the Congress's criticism as an act of frustration and claimed a spot-free central government, Surjewala wondered why the prime minister was not taking action against senior party leaders like MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over his alleged role in Vyapam educational scam, and Raje for helping former IPL boss Lalit Modi escape law. He cited the Sahara-Birla papers to raise questions about the PM's alleged involvement in corruption.