Has Congress trapped in game plane of Modi?

*       Gujarat Chief always tried to take Gandhi family directly after his anointment

‘The Congress will never reply directly to the vicious attacks of Narendra Modi on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and to his mother Sonia Gandhi.’ Many Congress Stalwarts who are defending Congress Vice President and Sonia Gandhi on various occasions have expressed similar views while replying on issues (not so pleasant for the Congress) raised by Narendra Modi.

But recently, it seems that Congress has changed its strategy. Its top leadership has become so furious after the scathing personal jibe especially against Rahul Gandhi that it has rewritten plan to tackle Modi. Recent direct attacks on Modi in Madhya Pradesh election rallies clearly show the changes in Congress strategy. Now Sonia is taking the bull’s horn directly by making direct reference to Modi. ‘Daydreamer’ statement made during an election speech is an example where Gujarat Chief Minister is clearly referred as he is one of main contenders who are running for Chair of Prime Minister.

Rahul has been avoiding any direct reference to Modi after getting serious advice from top advisors of his team. Especially after the rally of Uttar Pradesh in which Muslim youths and ISI controversy engulfed him with a controversy, he has changed his focus on BJP rather than Narendra Modi. Since then his speeches were normally laced with sober words to narrate people oriented polices of UPA. But in yesterday’s Chattisgarh rallies he once again used ‘thief and plunderer’ like phrase for leaders of BJP Chattisgarh unit. Critics also acknowledge that speeches of Sonia and Rahul are an apparent change in the Congress planning to counter the growing influence of Narendra Modi.

‘This also shows that Modi has succeeded in converting the fight of forth coming election into a direct fight with that of Gandhi family’ said a senior journalist while we were analyzing the current election campaign at press club yesterday. From day one Modi wanted to fight 2014 Lok Sabha election in American Presidential election. Though Congress has always tried not to trap in Modi’s strategy as it has experienced the consequences in Gujarat elections three times yet BJP prime ministerial candidate seems to succeed in his game plan.

To support my observation I would like to quotes from Chetan Bhagat, who in his article published today in TOI has written ‘BJP continues to get stronger every day even as Namo runs the campaign for both the BJP and the Congress.’ He further writes ‘ Namo sets a weekly topic- from burqa to dehati aurat to Sardar Patel- and Congress man write essays attacking him.’

The Congress, in its attempt to tackle continuously increasing influence of Modi, is now not only targeting Gujarat Chief minister but also trying to ban or control opinion poll and social media which are waving increasing supports in favour of Modi in common voters. Annoyed by this, Bhagat writes in the same article ‘Free speech is the only catharsis available to suffering Indians.’ Certainly this is not the right way to won elections.

Picture of fort of Allahabad. It is very near to my home of Allahabad.