BJP flared up emotions, misused state machinery: Ashok Gehlot

Congress’s state in-charge for Gujarat, Ashok Gehlot speaks to DNA’s Amrita Madhukalya about his party’s campaign and expectations. The former Rajasthan CM feels that the BJP’s use of the Gujarat state machinery played its role.

Now that the results are out, how do they compare with the party’s expectations?

The campaign that the BJP ran in Gujarat was never based on any issues, while our politics was based on real issues. Rahul ji spoke to farmers about better wages, about jobs to the youth, to the fishermen and to the Adivasis for inclusive development. Our manifesto drew from these experiences. The BJP released a manifesto just a day before the first phase of voting commenced. We’ve done our best for the people of Gujarat, and we are in a position to claim a moral victory.

Was there any room for change in the Congress’s campaign?

Our campaign drew from months of intensive research and experiences with different sections of the society. But, if you compare it with the BJP’s campaign, their simple pitch was to project Narendra Modi as a Gujarati man. Modi’s pleas to the people were: ‘I am a Gujarati’, ‘they have insulted me’ and ‘please vote for Gujarat asmita (pride)’. The BJP have simply flared up emotions. To add to that, they had more than 20 ministers and over 80 to 90 MPs sitting there. This was a clear misuse of state machinery. They raised no issues, and they had no replies to our questions. We raised the issue of the botched up Rafale deal and of the corruption linked to the party president’s son.

Do you think the Congress covered some lost ground since 2012?

See, Narendra Modi was then the CM, today he’s the PM. That has a huge role to play. He ensured that he was there in the state during the campaign. And yet, they have lost about 15 seats and a vote share of 16 per cent. The Congress has clearly made the dent it wanted to make.

Rahul Gandhi took charge of the Congress just after the Gujarat campaign was over. Was that a calculated move?

The Congress, no doubt, needs to look inward. Rahul ji took charge formally recently, but he has been at the forefront for a while. Every party worker and leader in Gujarat worked selflessly and they deserve applause for their efforts.