“You Cannot Have Your Legs on Two Boats” : Tehseen Poonawalla to Mojo Story on Prashant Kishor

RPN Singh, one of the Congress’s most prominent leaders in Uttar Pradesh, has quit Congress and crossed over to the BJP. After Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada, RPN Singh’s departure from the Congress indicates that the party’s young leaders may be eager to abandon the ‘sinking’ ship. Mr Singh was on the list of the Congress’s top campaigners in Uttar Pradesh. His resignation comes as five states prepare for assembly elections, including the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections in 2022.

According to Prashant Kishor, Congress needs to make structural changes to improve its chances in the 2024 elections. Arati Jerath, a senior journalist, also believe that the upcoming elections are critical for Congress. “It will be a huge black mark against the Congress if they lose all four states,” she stated.

In an interview with Mojo Story, senior journalists agreed that the Congress needs to buckle down and rethink its structure and strategy. Congress believe they have time, but for the time being, the BJP is dictating the narrative.

Rusheed Kidwai, a Senior Journalist, said that Prashant Kishor is a huge asset for Congress. He has proven himself and is even willing to join the party. “However, Congress members don’t like Prashant Kishor’s candour because he speaks frequently. He stated, “They want someone like Manmohan Singh, who doesn’t talk.”

Regional parties or players, according to Tavleen Singh, a senior journalist, are filling the opposition space vacuum. And Congress has not been able to fill the vacuum yet. “There are many things that the Modi government has done incorrectly, and we haven’t heard anything from Sonia Gandhi, despite the fact that she is supposed to be the president. And neither Rahul nor Priyanka has raised anything close to that in their campaigns,” she stated.

On the other hand, Tehseen Poonawalla, a political analyst, criticised Prashant Kishor’s duality, saying, “You cannot have your legs on two boats; you will sink and destabilise one of the two boats, and that is unacceptable. He said that it is just a presumption that Congress has not taken an unconventional route. For instance, in Karnataka, they gave up the Chief Minister post, and in Maharashtra, they got Shiv Sena to go along with them. “Under Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, the Congress has done everything it can to keep the BJP out of power,” he added.