Loose-tongued Congress ruining chance in Karnataka

It takes only a grain of history to understand why losing a contest would be a grievous mistake. But some never learn from it. Karnataka Congress might as well end up in desolation over the Assembly election results.

The party has started well. It almost had everything on its platter. Corruption, inefficiency, nepotism and dismal governance by the ruling BJP had distanced it from the people going by the surveys. The ‘40 per cent CM’ tag stuck to a great extent. Former CM Yediyurappa was not fully reconciled with the BJP’s higher dispensation. A plenty of turncoats were denting the image of the BJP. Denial of tickets to strongmen of even the Lingayat community made them walk out of the party and embrace the Congress. Then there was Nandini milk issue along with ‘Dahi’ flare-up. Kannada vs Hindi sentiment was ignited enough.

Were these not enough for the Congress to cement its bonding with the people this time around? In addition, the State party leadership had vowed to influence Rahul Gandhi not to turn the contest into Modi Vs Rahul as this was a disastrous recipe as witnessed all these years. So, Rahul Gandhi cultivates a studied silence and sticks to local issues even keeping Adani aside or making only low key references to him unlike in the recent times. And yet, the bug bites the leadership and the script goes awry. AICC president Mallikharjuna Kharge calls Modi a poisonous snake to caution people against voting the BJP to power. Kharge forgets that he was one of the leaders who decided not to attack Modi more than necessary. Yet, he falls prey to the itch. His son then moves on to call Modi ‘Nalayak.’ What does this kid think of himself in referring to Modi in such a disrespectful term? Once you utter such nonsense in public, taking it back won’t be easier.

Next comes the Congress Collective which prefers to equate Bajrang Dal with PFI to assure the people of Karnataka that it would ban those organisations. At worst, Bajrang Dal could be accused of creating a law and order situation or committing some crimes. But, how could anyone even think of equating Bajrang Dal with PFI which is a banned organisation for its anti-national, secessionist and jihadi activity in the country. After all, the PFI is being funded by terror modules and the ISI and other agencies from abroad to create in Islamic jihadi force in India. Enough proof has been compiled against its anti-Indian activity and a close scrutiny of its activities through the country, even under the non-BJP governments, has dug up too much evidence for it to be banned.

But then for a party which compares RSS activity to the Islamist terror activity, this probably sounded right. But it is going to pay a price for it, perhaps unless the voters of Karnataka are too fed up with the BJP rule. Everytime the Congress played with the Hindu sentiments, it got stung by the voters. Whenever it attacked Modi, it paid a price. And Modi never lost any opportunity to encash the same. This time around, too, he has begun tormenting the Congress for the personal attacks as well for “attacking Bajrang sentiment.” Will the Congress get away with it in Karnataka this time?