Lucknow, July 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) president, Rajnath Singh, is certainly not averse to the idea of following his rivals’ footsteps.
While addressing the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh working committee meeting on Sunday, Singh asked his party leaders to visit villages and spend time with poor people.
For the Congressmen, of course, this would be music to ears. Though Singh didn’t name anyone, it’s but obvious that he has been ‘ inspired’ by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
In fact, it was Rahul’s spendingtime- with- Dalits ploy that improved the Congress’s scorecard in UP in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
“I think it’s high time we started staying with the poor to interact with them and understand their problems,” Singh said, without taking Rahul’s name. The only difference is, the BJP leader wants caring for the poor to be clubbed with the Hindutva agenda.
Rahul, by the way, has inspired many of his rivals. Recently, Samajwadi Party ( SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had said even he would love to visit villages and live with the poor so that he could understand their problems better. Unlike Singh, he had not attached any ideology to his plan.
But for Singh, ideology is above all. “ We must not deviate from Hindutva to which we are committed. We can sacrifice anything to protect the agenda. Let us not compromise on this issue even if we have to wait for five or even 10 years to return to power,” he told the party workers on Sunday.
While admitting something had gone terribly wrong with the party — in view of its debacle in the Lok Sabha elections — he said: “ I am ready to listen to those who have complaints against the party or disagree with the leadership. But they must communicate with me instead of talking to outsiders.” Singh didn’t take the name of senior BJP leader and former Union minister Yashwant Sinha who has been accused of leaking the content of his letter — to the party leadership — to the media.
“I agree that it’s time for introspection.
We are in the middle of analysing the factors that led to our defeat in the elections. But that doesn’t mean that we should start making our internal issues public,” he said, obviously referring to the rebel elements in the party. The BJP chief also warned strict action against those who didn’t mend their ways.
“We should rethink our strategies instead of feeling dejected,” he further said.
Singh also described the ongoing spat between the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party as a tussle to gain TRP ratings.
“Both the parties are trying to increase their TRP by indulging in a spat,” he said.
The BJP head also accused Congress and the BSP of misleading the people of the state.
He said the Congress’s UP president, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, should not have used undignified words against chief minister Mayawati. “ But was the mistake so big that her house was set on fire. Unfortunately, those responsible to maintain order dared to take the law in their hands,” he said.
–Agencies