Uttar Pradesh Congress General Secretary Deepak Singh has emerged as the party’s point man in Amethi and Raebareli ever since reports of the brother-sister duo of Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi contesting in the Lok Sabha elections started doing the rounds. Singh, a two-time ‘Block Pramukh’ of Amethi, has played a key role in strengthening the party unit in the region.

He was in charge of the Youth Congress and the National Student Union of India (NSUI) and it is believed that both frontal organisations gained strength during his tenure. Under Singh’s watch, the Rahul Gandhi-led “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra” received an overwhelming reception in the state, and people urged the Gandhi scion to contest from the region. Singh talked to Manoj Bhadra of The Statesman on the party’s prospects in the battle at the hustings.

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Q: The Congress fared poorly in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls when it could win a mere two seats. Do you think the party stands a chance in this general election?

A: The Congress will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Samajwadi Party under the umbrella of INDIA bloc. We are confident that the party will bounce back under the troika of Rahul-PriyankaKharge. In Uttar Pradesh, people want change and they will vote for the Congress this time.

Q: Your party is betting heavily on the Samajwadi Party. But its chief Akhilesh Yadav allotted only 17 seats to your party in the LS polls. Besides, he was also absent from the ”Bharat Jodo Yatra” of Rahul Gandhi.

A: Our alliance is firm and the Congress and the Samajwadi Party will contest the polls together. Secondly, ”Bharat Jodo Yatra” was a Congress-led programme, and if leaders of any other party didn’t join it, it was not a big issue. In politics, everyone has the freedom to look into one’s interests. In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, there was a direct contest between the BJP and the SP. But the situation has changed and turned into an NDA versus INDIA bloc.

Q: What are the prospects of the INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls? Will the CongressSP alliance be able to turn the tables?

A: The situation in the country is similar to 2004 when people rejected the ‘Shining India’ slogan of Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA, and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) came to power and Dr Manmohan Singh continued as Prime Minister for 10 years. The current situation in the country is bad on economic and social fronts and is worse than in 2004. There are several issues like inflation, unemployment and debts along with threats to democracy which could compel the people to reject the NDA and embrace the opposition alliance. So, the Prime Minister’s slogan of “400 seats” will become a daydream and meet the same fate as in 2004.

Q: How was the response of people to “Bharat Jodo Yatra”?

A: We received an overwhelming response from all sections of the people. Even children and women in big numbers came on the roads to shower flower petals on the convoy of Rahul Gandhi. This proves that Rahul’s popularity has only increased. There is no doubt that Rahul will emerge as the ultimate choice of the countrymen for the Prime Minister’s post after the Lok Sabha polls.

Q: There were some protests by BJP workers during the Yatra in Amethi.

A: A handful of BJP goons tried to create a nuisance but the people chased them away. The presence of Union Minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani in the constituency also contributed to this skirmish but people thwarted her attempt to create disturbances.

Q: It has been alleged that Rahul Gandhi rarely visited Amethi after his defeat in 2019. He reached Amethi after nearly 2years as part of the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”. Has the Gandhi family lost touch with the constituency?

A: It is wrong to say that Rahul did not visit Amethi after his 2019 debacle. He has been to the place several times. During Covid-19, he sent trucks loaded with food, medicines and other items for the people. He has always cared for the people of Amethi, and frequently contacts me to get first-hand information about the area. In the last five years, the people of Amethi have realised what they have missed due to the absence of the Gandhi family. The BJP has always tried to close down all the projects introduced by the Congress. They even tried to shut the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Munshiganj, which is the lifeline of the masses. But because of the court’s intervention, the BJP’s evil desire could not be fulfilled.

Q: The big question is whether Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi.

A: Although it is the sole prerogative of Rahul to decide whether he will contest from Amethi, people of the constituency desperately want him to lead them. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge too, during the ”Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra”, had given enough hints that Rahul ji could contest from Amethi.

Q: Now that Sonia Gandhi has gone to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, who do you think will represent the Raebareli seat for the Congress? Will Priyanka Gandhi Vadra enter electoral politics from Raebareli?

A: It is obvious that someone from the Gandhi family will contest from Raebareli. Sonia had also written an open letter to the voters of Raebareli seeking their support. This shows that a member of the Gandhi family will certainly contest from Raebareli…it could be Priyanka.

Q: Your comments on the performance of the seven-year rule of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh?

A:The government formed in 2017 emerged from the womb of corruption. The present Yogi Adityanath-led dispensation has made a record of scams. They have only one aim – to target the opposition through illegal means and minting money through corruption. Can anyone question the funds misused during extravagant programmes like the Pran-Pratishtha of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya or the groundbreaking ceremony in Lucknow? With the elections approaching, they are doing all this to garner votes