Why Congress is in tearing hurry to undo BJP’s policies in Karnataka

New Delhi: The Congress is seemingly in a tearing hurry to undo the Bharatiya Janata Party’s policies in Karnataka, preparing to unleash an aggressive move ahead of the next round of polls. Within days of securing power in the state Legislative Assembly elections, the grand old party has decided to scrap anti-conversion law and purge the textbooks of the saffron agenda.

The swift action on the Congress’ part is undeniable as it pushes for these changes in the crucial southern state that it wrested from the BJP after a high-stakes fight. Party sources stated that the fast-paced implementation of Congress’ manifesto promises regarding undoing of the saffron agenda has been deliberate as the grand old party wants to showcase the "Karnataka model" ahead of the forthcoming Assembly in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

With just a few months to go for these crucial polls, the Congress is now completely focused on ensuring the rollback of saffron policies in Karnataka. If the Congress is able to successfully project the “Karnataka model”, the party feels that it will help consolidation of minority and liberal Hindu votes in its favour in future elections, sources said.

Through these moves in its newly-acquired southern citadel, the Congress wants to clearly project that it stands with the minorities and is aiming at clearly establishing itself as its saviour.  The grand old party feels that this would help it in the forthcoming polls and will also prove to be beneficial in next year’s general elections.

There is a sense that the BJP is likely to find it very difficult to secure a victory in the forthcoming assembly polls in the major states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The Congress is desperately trying to cause a 2018-like embarrassment for the BJP where the saffron front was unable to form a government in any of these states. The Madhya Pradesh government was formed later by the BJP after engineering a split in the Congress with the help of Jyotiaditya Scindia, sources pointed out.

Moreover, the grand old party’s top leadership is also seemingly on the same page on the issue of going after the saffron agenda. With Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge leading the party to a victory in his home state of Karnataka, his electoral strategies are seemingly receiving an enthusiastic and positive response from the Gandhi family and senior state leaders, sources stated.

After the Karnataka Assembly polls victory, the Congress has been infused with new-found confidence and party chief Kharge is trying hard to continue keeping the pressure on the BJP by attacking the saffron agenda aggressively.

In addition to projecting the "Karnataka model" in the forthcoming polls, the Congress has decided to also promise freebies in forthcoming state polls, like free bus travel, subsidized power, food grains and other welfare measures. These promises had paid the grand old party rich dividends in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.

Even as elections to these crucial states approach and a loss in Karnataka, the worry in the saffron camp is also becoming quite apparent as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently asked Chief Ministers and deputy CMs of BJP-ruled states to tighten up their act.

Both BJP and Congress are treating the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana as a semifinal before the next general elections in the country. The top leadership of both parties are trying hard to score a victory in these states as this could set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.