Journalism of Courage
Having shied away from any Narendra Modi-versus-Rahul Gandhi debate so far,the Congress was today emboldened enough by its victory in Karnataka to question the Gujarat chief ministers popularity outside his state and to showcase Rahul as a mass leader. Editorial: Politicians must junk their old calculus
Hailing Rahul for playing a leading role in the campaign in Karnataka,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said,It is a clear result against the ideology of the BJP,which has been ruling in the state of Karnataka. Related: Full coverage – Karnataka Assembly elections
Responding to a query outside Parliament House about the Lok Sabha elections,the prime minister said,People of the country know what is what and they will reject the BJP ideology as the rersult in Karnataka shows.
I am very happy with the victory in Karnataka. It was a joint effort, said Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Full coverage: Karnataka Assembly elections
Making a departure from the common refrain about assembly elections being fought on local issues,senior Congress leaders today spoke in chorus in questioning Modis popularity outside his domain. No one knows Modi outside Gujarat. It has been proved again by Karnataka, said Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh. And Union minister Kapil Sibal termed Modi a big zero,saying that he had no impact on voters in Karnataka.
Rahuls contributions,on the other hand,came in for praise. Referring to his hard work in the state and interactions with various sections of the people,senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes noted,Rahulji has been working in Karnataka for over five years. Wherever he (Rahul) went in Karnakata,the Congress won most of those seats, said Congress MP and former Youth Congress president Ashok Tanwar.
While it is debatable how much credit or discredit could be attributed to individual leaders for results in an election in which there was a clear anti-BJP wave,the Congress did perform well in some places where Rahul had addressed meetings. For instance,it swept the BJP bastion of Bagalkot. In another BJP bastion,Belgaum,the Congress performed well. The Congress made improvements or at least retained its tally from the last election in other districts visited by Rahul Mandya,Tumkur,Hassan.
Modi,on the other hand,had a hugely successful meeting in Bangalore in terms of turnout,but the BJPs tally in the capital city,which has 28 assembly constituencies,came down from 17 in 2008 to 12 in 2013. The Congress swept the BJP stronghold of Mangalore where the Gujarat chief minister had sought to stoke Hindutva sentiment by talking about cow slaughter. Modi had addressed a public meeting in Belgaum,too,theonly common district on his and Rahuls campaign trails.
