Rahul's plan to take on PM Modi in 2024 Lok Sabha elections

NEW DELHI: The fight for the next Lok Sabha elections seems to be gaining pace with over a year yet to go. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is looking to up the ante against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, for which he will follow the same strategy that the Opposition had adopted in 2014 which had led to the downfall of the UPA government. Rahul Gandhi will meet civil society people and organizations in Delhi on August 22 to listen to their issues and share their thoughts. Gandhi will also discuss his Bharat Jodo Yatra and its purpose with people from civil society.

Ahead of his Bharat Jodo Yatra starting from Kanyakumari on September 7, Rahul Gandhi will work with civil society to chalk out a strategy for the 2024 general elections. Gandhi is going to meet organizations and individuals working for different sections of society before his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Some Congress leaders have started discussing this along with civil society members. Yogendra Yadav, Megha Patekar and other individuals and organizations have been contacted. The rest of the people are also being contacted and invited to the August 22 meeting which is proposed in Delhi.

Notably, before 2014, many organizations under the banner of India Against Corruption created an atmosphere against the then Manmohan Singh government. The then opposition BJP had raised the issues of corruption, and policy paralysis in the UPA government. It was that period when a pan-India movement was launched.

Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Kumar Vishwas, retired army officers and bureaucrats along with Baba Ramdev also created an atmosphere against the UPA government. It is said that RSS and many of its affiliated organizations were also working behind these movements. On similar lines, Rahul Gandhi wants to meet the common people to build a narrative against the Modi government based on the work of the BJP government.

The Congress leader will bring up the issues in his speeches relating to the alleged misuse of constitutional institutions, unemployment, division in society, farmers' issues and the state of the economy. A separate logo, website and literature has also been prepared for the Bharat Jodo Yatra which will be launched on August 23.

Meanwhile, the BJP has also geared up for a fight in the 2024 polls as the party aims to win 35 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar after losing power in the state following Nitish Kumar's exit from the NDA. Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday exuded confidence in BJP's record-breaking victory in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections and claimed that the party will touch the 350-seat mark.

"The way popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is increasing continuously in the country, it is evident that people want him to win again. In 2019, we increased to 314 from 282, I think this time this journey will end by going beyond 350. In Bihar, we have set a target of 35 seats. BJP will perform 100 per cent. History has been repeated before and this time it will be repeated again. It will be a new record this time," said Shekhawat.