The Congress is yet to formulate a strategy on Mr Narendra Modi, who is being projected as the Hindutva poster boy, a backward caste leader and “vikas purush” by the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress is confident that Mr Modi’s “Gujarat model” of development will not work in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for the simple reason that the BJP cadre in these two states are not at all convinced by this model.
Bihar BJP leaders want to cash in on Mr Modi’s backward caste card to check chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. But in UP, the BJP expects to regain lost grounds by playing the Hindutva card aggressively through Mr Modi to check caste politics.
Interestingly, the Gujarat chief minister is known as industrialist-friendly outside the Hindi heartland.
AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry will be going to Lucknow on June 28 to meet party officials and workers. Before that he will be meeting the Congress’ zonal in-charges in Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.
Mr Mistry, who had brought the success for the party in Kerala and Karnataka Assembly polls as the AICC points man, had handled eastern UP in the last state Assembly polls.
His role is to formulate a strategy, decide a policy which can increase the Congress’ numbers in the Lok Sabha from the state.
He has to check Mr Modi and his claim on the Gujarat development.
“If Modi decides to contest the Lok Sabha elections, then he will fight from two seats, one from Gujarat and another from Uttar Pradesh,” the Congress sources said.
According to them, the BJP cannot increase its numbers not only in UP but in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam because its fight in these states will be with the Congress and the regional parties.