Congress will be 'central pillar' of anti-BJP formation for 2024 polls: Sachin Pilot

The Congress is and will have to remain the pivot around which an antiBJP coalition is formed and a UPA plus plus formation would be the best one to take on the BJPled NDA in the 2024 general elections senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot saidIn an interview with PTI ahead of the partys Chintan Shivir starting here on Friday Pilot asserted that formulating a successful electoral strategy would be a top agenda point at the threeday brainstorming session Accusing the ruling BJP of diverting peoples attention from the real issues he said some fringe elements are trying to change the name of some monuments and roadsHe questioned whether the demands of renaming the Qutub Minar or the Taj Mahal are more important than reducing the skyrocketing prices of petrol diesel cooking gas and food itemsThese are issues brought out in complete desperation to manipulate the narrative and to pull the wool over peoples eyes at a time when lemon is Rs 300 a kg cylinder is at Rs 1000 and petrol at around Rs 125 There is chaos in the fiscal management and the economic policies of the government have been a monumental failure and there is no accountability in the government Pilot saidAsked about his expectations from the Chintan Shivir the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister said the idea is to brainstorm evolve a fresh blueprint reboot the partys messaging and incorporate those changes moving forward so that the organisation can be revamped and be prepared to take on future political challengesTo my mind the shivir will be extremely useful and outcomeoriented As people have said in Delhi also idea is not to draft an agenda for a manifesto or for an AICC session this is about how to take stock how to inculcate ideas and changes and then move forward so that in the next few weeks and months whatever challenges lie ahead we can overcome them successfully Pilot said He exuded confidence that post the Chintan Shivir the party will have a roadmap and a clear agenda People will speak their minds and there will be open discussion over three days as it is not just about exchange of ideas but to come up with actionable points that are deliverable said Pilot who is a member of the panel on economy formed by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to lead the discussion on that subject at the Chintan ShivirAsked if the Congress should still be the fulcrum of an antiBJP coalition for the 2024 polls despite its recent electoral setbacks he said it is quite clear that nationally the Congress is the only political party that has the spread outreach and the bandwidth to take on the BJPRegional parties have a very important role to play and we have to work together to ensure that in 2024 we are able to defeat the NDA The results of the five state polls were obviously a setback for all of us and it means that we have to work even harder and as Mrs Sonia Gandhi said at the CWC that there has to be a collective resolve of sacrifice and of making sure that we continually interact with the people Pilot saidThe Congress has to remain the central pillar around which other forces can collate the former Union minister asserted He noted that there is obviously going to be some give and take among alliance parties for the larger cause of the country and for the 2024 elections There has to be some give and take obviously but the Congress will and should remain the pivot around which we can have an antiBJP formation to take on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections he saidPressed further if the leadership of an antiBJP coalition should be with the Congress Pilot said every regional party has their own strength in the region but nationally across the country the Congress will have to remain the centrepiece for that structure to come along Perhaps a UPA plus plus formation might be the best one to take on the NDA he said On whether a larger coalition must take shape soon to take on the BJP in 2024 Pilot said there is already a UPA but he does believe that there is a need for a larger canvas to take on the NDA in 2024Dont forget NDA has lost many partners since 2019 and anyone who is opposed to the politics of the government of India should come forward join hands in a show of partnership and resolve because look at the country where we are going he saidReferring to the outbreak of violence in certain parts of the country recently Pilot said many fires are going on at various places and asserted that these sort of flare ups are sporadic but may not be completely unintended as there must be some forces that are behind itThey the BJP are just trying to create an atmosphere of animosity demolition drives at targeted audiences changing names of roads monuments diverting peoples attention and creating noise so that peoples minds get distracted he saidAsked if the Congress has the capacity to reform from within or would need professional help in light of the recent talks the party held with poll strategist Prashant Kishor which once again failed to fructify Pilot said it is not new and in the last 1015 years almost all parties have used agencies and platforms to convey their message to reach out to voters He however added that the Congress has enough resources and in house capacities to execute the things that it needs to doThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever