Rita Bahuguna helps BJP muddy UP Congress revival plan

NEW DELHI: Former UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna's defection to the BJP is a tactical blow to symbolisms Congress has been weaving around its assembly election preparations. The Congress feels BJP has been trying to undo two tactical narratives — UP Congress has 'regained appeal among Brahmins' and Rahul Gandhi's drive has 'revived consolidation of the party' and ended desertions.

Though it is no more a secret that Rita's grouse was Sheila Dikshit projection and her sidelining in the state Congress, she avoided any attack on Dikshit at her press conference. Instead, she questioned Rahul's leadership. This is a theme BJP wants to go to the town with to counter Congress' efforts to give Gandhi an image-makeover.

And by attacking strategist Prashant Kishore, she has indirectly hit at Dikshit's projection and played on the uneasiness of several Congress leaders about Kishore. By praising Sonia Gandhi, as Assam's Himanta Biswa Sarma tactically did after joining BJP, she was playing on the concerns of many Congress leaders about Rahul's capabilities, as it caters to the BJP's need to constantly project Congress' leader as an 'unviable person'.

Congress leaders tried to counter BJP's 'major catch' by projecting the Bahuguna clan as wanderers by referring to HN Bahuguna's record of quitting the Congress and returning to quit again and Rita's own 'defection from SP to Congress and now to BJP and her brother Vijay's defection to BJP.

"Rita was a history professor and it seems that this is the reason why she is not failing to repeat the history of her family," quipped PCC chief Raj Babbar.