Prashant Kishor's meeting with Gandhis has the full backing of satraps
Prashant Kishor's meeting with Gandhis on Tuesday has the full backing of regional satraps of Congress like Siddaramaiah, Captain Amarinder Singh, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, Kamal Nath and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who want him to play a key role in the Congress tone up exercise at a time party's prospects appear to be in the doldrums.
Nath will be meeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi in a day or two to see how the ideas discussed by Kishor with Gandhis could be further elaborated upon.
There is a strong buzz that Kishor, who has political ambitions and worked out electoral strategies for many Chief Ministers from Congress and other Opposition parties, could be in for a major role within the Congress or something related to working out coordination between Congress and other Opposition parties.
"We are exploring options. We are exploring different possibilities," was the guarded response of a senior party functionary when asked about these possibilities.
A source in the party claimed Rahul Gandhi agreed to meet him after it was broached to him by senior party functionaries. Kishor has good relation with Priyanka Gandhi and he was also in touch with Sonia Gandhi on few occasions since May 2 when the West Bengal poll results came out, giving a resounding victory to Mamta Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.
In his first meeting with Rahul Gandhi after a gap of five years on Wednesday, a wide range of issues were discussed with a substantial chunk of it on toning up the Congress, which Kishor considers critical to any successful Opposition alliance against Narendra Modi-led BJP.
"If somebody has some ideas. Rahul Gandhi is always open to it. Many such people meet him," was the refrain of a young leader in the party. There are different views in the party over the induction of Kishor in Congress. While one section firmly backs his coming in, another section of young leaders, who claim to be close to Rahul Gandhi is not quite enthused by the idea.
All three Gandhis-- Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, will, however, be taking any decision with a complete consensus among them, the leader said.
Kishor, who had strategised for the party in Punjab and UP in 2017, had never kept secret his views about the problems in the oldest party of the country, where decision making is sluggish, many complain.
Last month, Kishor had thrice met NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who is believed to be in a position to gather disparate Opposition voices together for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in which no single party in Opposition can challenge the BJP.
There is also a thinking that before Lok Sabha polls, 2022 Presidential polls could be a testing ground when Opposition can give a common candidate and explore whether some non-NDA parties friendly to the government can also be brought in the larger Opposition canvass.
"There is no denying the fact that Prashant Kishor is trying to bring all Opposition parties together," said NCP leader Majeed Memon.
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