"PM Modi, Amit Shah experts in psychological warfare": Jairam Ramesh

SURAT: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah 'experts at psychological warfare' while questioning their claim that the BJP-led NDA was poised to go '400 paar' (beyond 400) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to ANI on Monday, the senior Congress leader said, "If they are so optimistic about winning 370 seats on their own and past 400 in alliance with its partners in the NDA, why they are running after BJD, Pawan Kalyan, or TDP for tie-ups?"

He said the BJP's pre-poll alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an erstwhile NDA partner, and actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena ahead of the general elections was an "attempt to revive" the ruling alliance. In a free-wheeling conversation with ANI during the Gujarat leg of the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', the Congress general secretary-in-charge for Communications said, "PM Modi and Amit Shah are experts at psychological warfare. If they are so confident about their numbers in the polls, why they are looking to add more partners as the elections draw near? Earlier, PM Modi said he was more than enough to take on INDIA. However, now, they are running around, trying to woo BJD, Pawan Kalyan and Chandrababu Naidu to their side. They are trying to revive the NDA."

Taking a further swipe at the BJP, the Congress leader said, "There are two 'I's in INDIA if we take out these two, which stand for 'Imandari' and 'Insaniyat', you are left with NDA. This is the message that we are going to people with ahead of the elections." On the probable PM face for the INDIA Bloc, he said, "In our country, elections are not beauty contests. They are not just fights involving parties but also represent the battle of ideologies, symbols and flags."

Earlier, on Saturday, the BJP announced an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party and the Jana Sena ahead of the general elections. On the catchphrase 'Modi Ki Guarantee' (Modi's guarantee) ahead of the polls, the Congress leader said he started using these words after the BJP's losses in Karnataka and Telangana assembly elections. The Congress are currently in power in both these states. "Initially, he (PM) did not use the word (guarantee)...He saw Rahul-ji using the word during the recent Karnataka and Telangana assembly elections. Prime Minister is like...he credits himself for adopting others' ideas.

And, he has no competition when it comes to borrowing from others. He didn't use the word guarantee earlier. Today, he is talking about 'Modi ki Guarantee' and we are countering it with 'Kharge ki guarantee', 'Rahul ji ki guarantee' and 'Sonia ji ki guarantee'. We are talking about the guarantees of the Congress," he said.

"PM is projecting himself to be a messiah (saviour). Who is he to give a guarantee?" the Congress leader questioned. The senior Congress leader added that the INDIA bloc will hold a mega rally in Mumbai on March 17, signalling the end of Rahul's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'. "A mega rally is going to be held in Mumbai on March 17.

All the parties of the INDIA bloc will share the stage at the rally," he said. On the yatra, he said, "The 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' started from Manipur on January 14. Over the last 20-25 days, we have been promising a legal guarantee of MSP to every farmer and loan waivers. We have to do it. And we will do it."

"The objective behind the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and 'Panch Nyay' (five pillars of justice) is to make more and more people aware of our guarantees," he added. The Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held sometime between April and May this year. (