From reviving the party in Uttar Pradesh to chalking out a strategy for Lok Sabha elections 2024, Ajay Rai will be welcomed by a heavy in-tray when he takes charge as Congress’s UP chief on August 24. But for the Purvanchal strongman and five-time Varanasi MLA who contested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice in General Elections, the to-do list is topped by the need to expand the party’s base in UP’s rural pockets.
In an exclusive interview to News18, Ajay Rai assured he would bring about the revival of the UP Congress within three months and clarified on his purported statements that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest Lok Sabha elections next year from Amethi and Varanasi, respectively.
Edited excerpts:
You have been appointed the Congress chief for UP where the party has been out of form for quite some time. How do you see this responsibility?
It’s a big responsibility indeed. I am grateful to my leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul (Gandhi) ji and Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra) ji for showing faith in me. This has also reminded me of the 1996 Assembly elections when I entered politics and was fielded from Kolasla Assembly constituency against nine-time MLA Uday ji of the CPM. It was pure hardwork and sincere efforts that made me win. With the same zeal and hardwork, I assure the revival of the party in UP within three months.
The BJP has opted for ‘Tiffin Pe Charcha’, whereas the Samajwadi Party (SP) has announced ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ to drum up support. What will be the Congress equivalent of this ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections?
We would start from the rural pockets of UP. Expanding the party’s base in the rural areas would be my priority as it’s the farmers who are in great pain and have been awaiting development. Recently, Rahul Gandhi, too, stepped into the fields of Haryana and assisted farmers working there. The idea was to interact with the farmers and lend an ear to their problems. I can assure good results from Chandauli to Ghaziabad.
In a recent statement soon after becoming UP Congress chief, you were quoted by the media as saying that Rahul Gandhi is being fielded from Amethi. Is it true?
I was misquoted by the media. I meant that the people of Amethi feel cheated and are waiting for false promises to be fulfilled, including the one made by (Amethi MP) Smriti Irani that sugar will be available at Rs 13 per kg. Rahul ji hasn’t made any such false promises and people want him to contest from Amethi. However, the final say is with the party or Rahul ji himself.
In another statement, you were quoted as saying that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may contest from Varanasi from where you were elected as MLA for five terms. Is that true?
Again, I was misquoted by the media. Priyanka ji is my sister, and being in-charge of UP, she can contest from any seat, be it Varanasi or any other. However, if she wants to contest from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I will leave my seat for my sister and would help ensure her victory.
Since Mallikarjun Kharge is the Dalit face of the Congress and you are ‘Bhumihar’, political buzz says your appointment as UP Congress chief is just an attempt to balance caste dynamics in the state to secure more votes.
I believe that the wrong perception. I think my appointment goes much beyond caste politics and it has been done not on the basis of my caste, but on merit. If we talk about Bhumihars, the land holding community of UP, it’s only 2%. I am thankful to the people of my community for supporting me throughout. I think it’s my never-say-die spirit for which the party leaders have shown faith in me and nominated me for such a crucial role before Lok Sabha polls.
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