New Delhi: A day after the successful INDIA bloc rally in Mumbai, Congress veterans compared the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with the 2004 national polls and said that the opposition alliance will defeat the BJP just like the UPA ousted the NDA 20 years ago.
“The situation today is the same as in 2004. The NDA led by then Prime Minister AB Vajpayee was banking on its ‘India Shining’ slogan while the opposition bloc UPA was talking about rural distress. The UPA defeated the NDA and came to power over pro-people issues. The same is going to happen this time. The BJP is banking on its development hype but the opposition bloc is highlighting public issues like high unemployment and price rise,” Congress Working Committee member Jagdish Thakor told ETV Bharat.
“The BJP is claiming that the NDA will win over 400 seats this time but that is far away from ground reality. If that was the case, there was no need for the ruling party to induct opposition leaders and use central agencies to threaten them with false cases. The opposition parties displayed their unity at the Mumbai rally on Sunday. Together we have a vote share of 65 per cent and will defeat the BJP,” he said.
The Congress veteran’s remarks came a day ahead of the crucial CWC meeting on March 19 where top party leaders will discuss the campaign for the April-May national polls.
“We will run a positive campaign based on the 25 guarantees that Rahul Gandhi has given. Besides, there will be other promises that the party manifesto will talk about. The Congress will present a roadmap for the future before the voters,” AICC general secretary in charge of Goa Manikrao Thakre said.
“The Mumbai rally of the INDIA bloc has sent a very strong message of opposition unity across the country. It was necessary for the opposition to come together a day after the election dates were announced,” he said. The Goa in charge also compared the 2024 national polls with 2004.
“Yes, the present situation is the same as 2004. The ruling party is talking about what will happen in 2047 but does not say much about what it did in the past 10 years. The ruling party also does not talk about the problems being faced by the common people. There will be a change this time,” said Thakre.
According to Congress veterans, in 2004 the then NDA government had advanced the national polls by six months in the hope that its “India Shining’ campaign was a big hit and would help it win the elections but then grand old party president Sonia Gandhi travelled across the country to mobilize support from rural parts and also brought the various opposition parties together, including BSP chief Mayawati.
“What the UPA did then, the INDIA bloc will now. Like Sonia Gandhi campaigned across the country in 2004, Rahul Gandhi has travelled across the country speaking to people and understanding their problems. The people will bring about the change themselves,” said both Thakor and Thakre.
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