In view of the prevailing circumstances in Delhi, the Congress in UP will be playing safe on the corruption issue in the coming UP Assembly polls.
The Samajwadi Party, in total contrast, will be focusing only on the corruption issue in order to put the BSP in the dock and add to the discomfort in the Congress camp.
The Congress has already toned down its tirade against corruption and is now focusing on lack of development in the state in non-Congress regimes.
The Congress, despite denials from top leaders, is undoubtedly feeling the heat of anti-corruption yatras in UP by Baba Ramdev and now Sri Sri Ravishankar. Anna Hazare’s threat to the campaign in UP had only served to make matters worse.
The fact that some top Congress leaders have “pressurised” Sri Sri Ravishankar to drop Amethi from his itinerary in UP is proof of this. Sri Sri Ravishankar himself told the media that he decided to opt out of Amethi under “pressure”.
“Corruption as an issue is already being dealt at the highest level and it is because of this that so many top leaders are in jail. In UP, we need not repeat all that is being said in Delhi. Here, we will focus on poor governance of the Mayawati government and the improper implementation of central schemes. Development, rather lack of it, will be the focus of our campaign,” said a senior AICC leader.
Congress strategists apparently feel that too much focus on corruption in the Mayawati regime could boomerang on the Congress which is presently facing the flak on scams including 2G and CWG. The party, therefore, wants to play it safe in the UP elections.
The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, is designing its campaign with corruption as a focal point.
“When it comes to corruption, Congress and BSP are two sides of the same coin. Ms Mayawati had to drop half a dozen ministers after they were indicted by Lokayukta and inquiries are pending against another half a dozen ministers which shows the extent of corruption in this government.
The Congress is also mired in corruption,” senior SP leader Mohan Singh told a select group of reporters. The Samajwadi Party plans to highlight the corruption issue and contract it with the plight of the common man.