Speculations over PK joining Cong come to an end as he declines offer

In a tweet, Prashant Kishor said, “I declined the generous offer of #congress to join the party as part of the EAG & take responsibility for the elections. In my humble opinion, more than me the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep-rooted structural problems through transformational reforms.”

Jaipur (Rajasthan): Speculations over poll strategist Prashant Kishor joining Congress came to an end as the party announced on Tuesday that he declined the offer to join the grand old party. However, several Congress leaders targeted him before his announcement. On Tuesday morning, in a veiled attack, Rashtriya Lok Dal Minister Subhash Garg tweeted "Only leadership and workers can make an organisation strong, no advisor and service provider. Leadership needs Chanakya and not a businessman." Garg, who is the Technical Education Minister in the Ashok Gehlot government, without naming the national party Congress or anyone's name tweeted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said in his statement that parties have been taking professionals along in the past and that Kishor has become a brand now. Addressing the media, Gehlot said, “PK was with Modiji in 2014, then he went with Nitishji, then went to Punjab with Congress. This is a professional job. We constantly take advice from such agencies or experts. But now, PK’s has become a brand, I agree.”

It may be recalled that Kishor had earlier pointed out that he had distanced himself from his company I-PAC, which was working with the regional parties, and the Congress leaders were not convinced with the explanation. Sources in the know of things said that Kishor was offered a key role as part of an Empowered Action Group 2024, but the strategist wanted to lead the panel, something the high command was not comfortable with.

Besides, an eminent position for an outsider within the Congress system would have diminished the role of several veterans, who have been involved in preparing strategy and managing poll campaigns for decades. Naturally, the eight-member panel reviewing Kishor’s proposals was divided over the issue of his induction, even though it agreed with most of his formulations.

However, their worries came to an end as Kishor reportedly declined on Tuesday that he is not joining Congress. In a tweet, he said, “I declined the generous offer of #congress to join the party as part of the EAG & take responsibility for the elections. In my humble opinion, more than me the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep-rooted structural problems through transformational reforms.”