Rahul Gandhi can’t be the face of the opposition in the long run, says Prashant Kishor

In an exclusive conversation with Republic, Jan Suraj founder Prashant Kishor launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, questioning his leadership abilities to fight Narendra Modi.

Prashant Kishor, who once worked for the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh, seems to have a dismal view of party scion Rahul Gandhi. While Kishor feels that, at the moment, only Rahul can lead the opposition, he does not look at him as the face of the opposition in the long term.

While speaking to Republic at the Indo-Nepal border in Bairginia block of Sitamadhi district in Bihar, Kishor pondered upon Rahul’s popularity quotient among the masses and gave his opinion on whether that sheen will diminish over time.

“In my opinion it's the people's wish, and Rahul Gandhi tops the popularity chart when it comes to becoming the face of the opposition, and no one else can become the face of the opposition in the 2024 elections. But one thing needs to be seen - till how long Rahul Gandhi will be the face of  opposition. Rahul Gandhi cannot be a permanent face for the PM candidate for the opposition parties.  If Rahul fails to make the opposition parties victorious in 2024, the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi should think it through and make space for some other leader who is popular on the ground. He was already the PM face in 2014 and 2019, and 2024 is no different. However, he cannot get the opportunity forever,” Kishor said candidly.

After a severe drubbing in the 2022 UP Assembly polls, the Congres, at the behest of Priyanka Gandhi, roped in Prashant Kishor to prepare a roadmap to revamp the grand old party. After a series of meetings with many senior Congress leaders, Kishor was very close to joining the party in April 2022, but the talks failed after he suggested a structural reform within the party through a detailed powerpoint presentation.

One of the most important suggestions made by Kishor was to make Priyanka Gandhi the face of the party. Since then, the strained relationship between Rahul and Kishor has made headlines time and again. 

At that time, Kishor had famously posted on X, "I declined the offer of the Congress to join the party as part of EAG (Empowered Action Group), and take responsibility for the (2024 LS) elections. In my humble opinion, more than me, the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep-rooted structural problems through transformational reform.”

Most recently when Rahul embarked on his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kishor had commented, "Rahul Gandhi is not connecting with people during his yatra; instead, it seems he is participating in a marathon.”

During the course of the interview, Kishor also questioned Rahul's political knowledge and understanding. Kishor said, “I was reading Rahul Gandhi's tweet after the recent caste survey, wherein he has written, ‘In Bihar, there are around 83 per cent OBCs and Dalits.’ This is common knowledge. If Rahul Gandhi has come to know of this fact after the survey, then I think that is why the Congress is in a bad state in Bihar.”

The Congress, on its part, disagrees with Kishore and says that Rahul Gandhi is the face of every protest of the I.N.D.I alliance parties.

Bihar Congress Legislature Party leader and National Secretary Shakeel Khan said, "Rahul Gandhi is the voice of all protests being spearheaded by the opposition parties and obviously he is the face. He understands his responsibility and lets the opportune time come. As far as leadership is concerned, myself as a Congressman would want my leader to be in the top position but any decision pertaining to this would be taken after the elections. As far as the opposition is concerned, all the parties will fight the BJP under the umbrella of I.N.D.I.A and we will ensure that in each and every state there is a direct contest against the BJP." 

Meanwhile, Congress leader Shahshi Tharoor, much to the displeasure of the I.N.D.I alliance parties has dropped a bombshell by stating the names of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge as PM contenders after the elections.

The opposition parties had announced that in the run up to 2024 Lok Sabha elections, they will declare the face of the opposition bloc and party-wise seat-sharing formula in each and every state.

It has been close to four months that all the top leaders of the opposition parties first met in Patna on the invitation of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, but yet no prime ministerial face has been declared by the I.N.D.I alliance parties.