Don’t hype up AAP, Rahul Gandhi tells Punjab Congress leaders

Monday, 14/03/2016

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/don-t-hype-up-aap-rahul-gandhi-tells-punjab-congress-leaders/208619.html

New Delhi : In a bid to boost the party cadre’s morale in Punjab, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has asked all state leaders not to hype up the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and instead concentrate on their own strengths.

In a key Punjab election strategy meeting which lasted for over five hours here last evening, Rahul strongly delivered the message that team spirit, not personality cult, would drive the Congress to victory in the 2017 assembly elections. 

To buttress his point, Rahul mentioned that the Australian cricket team often used to defeat India despite the latter boasting of stars such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. 

“I once asked then Australian cricket team captain Steve Waugh why India kept losing to them despite such celebrated faces as Tendulkar and Dravid. Waugh said it was because his team had 11 equally capable players,” Rahul said at the meeting attended by Punjab Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh, state election strategist Prashant Kishor and 34 other senior state leaders, MPs and ex-MPs, including Shakeel Ahmad, Ambika Soni, Partap Singh Bajwa, Shamsher Singh Dullo, Sunil Jakhar, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Manpreet Badal. 

A senior leader who participated in the meeting told the Tribune, “Rahul Gandhi’s message was clear. One, he said no one could defeat us if we worked as a team. Two, he asked us to talk of our own capabilities rather than worrying and talking about AAP. He also told us that we needed to offer solutions to new-age problems rather than harping on our old successes such as the elimination of terrorism from Punjab” 

The broad focus of the Congress in Punjab will be addressing the issues of 90 lakh first-time voters. 

About AAP, Rahul told leaders why he thought it wouldn’t cut much ice in Punjab. 

“The Congress Vice-President explained why AAP would not be the same in Punjab as it was in Delhi. He said the Congress lost the Delhi polls because of the 15-year anti-incumbency and due to the government-party disconnect. He said Punjab presented none of these opportunities to AAP,” another leader who attended the meeting said. The meeting lasted from 6 to 11.15 pm yesterday. Kishor didn’t say anything, while taking notes about what leaders said were the major issues for the elections. 

There was unanimity on addressing the issue of unemployment among the youth who make up 90 lakh new voters in Punjab.