Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said the promise of “achhe din” will work against the BJP in the same manner as ‘India Shining’ campaign did against then Vajpayee government in the 2004 General Elections. She was interacting with Aroon Purie at the India Today Conclave 2018.

On a possible coming together of other parties against BJP

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“While we can get together on national level on some issues or legislations but at the ground level we are opponents. So there is a lot of pressure on every party. It is a difficult task. But if all of us think of the larger picture and care for the country then we should sink our differences.”

Advice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi

“He knows what his responsibilities are but I am there if he needs any advice. Sometimes I volunteer and at others he asks, but I try not to volunteer.”

What went wrong for Congress in 2014

“We were in government for two terms and definitely there was anti-incumbency (factor). There were other issues. I think we were out-marketed. We couldn’t really compete with the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his party into elections. I am sure we will be able to meet it (in 2019).”

Lessons learned from defeat

“Congress has to develop a new style of connecting with people at organisational level. We have to also look at our way of projecting programmes and policies. NDA has adopted some of them but in weakened some of our programmes we thought very important. Corruption was an issue but it was highly exaggerated for instance the 2G scam. The previous CAG came out with some humongous amount of money but there was a problem there.”

On disruptions in Parliament

“We are not allowed to speak (in the Parliament) every time we want to raise genuine issues…This cannot be fixed with the way the present government is running the parliament because they are not allowing us to speak. I am aware that people feel angry with the Congress because of all the shouting but the reason is that parliamentary rules are not followed. The BJP supporters such as TDP, TRS and Shiv Sena are now going into the well of the house and started shouting and screaming. I don’t see much improvement in the situation.”

On Atal Bihari Vajpayee

“He (Vajpayee) had great respect for parliamentary procedure and the Speaker of the time (GMC Balayogi) was what a Speaker ought to be. We functioned well though we had disagreements. But it was a much positive way of give and take.”

Main issue in 2019

“The main issue with the BJP is that they made huge fantastic promises. But what is being implemented? They sold such a positive picture – we will give jobs, give you Rs 15 lakh. There is great disappointment. I am confident the BJP’s ‘achhe din’ will actually turn into ‘India Shining’ – which brought us to power (in 2004).”

Advice for PM Modi

“He is the Prime Minister so I can’t advice him apart from the fact that I very much doubt he will seek our advice.”

On Rahul taking breaks

“I don’t see Rahul taking breaks an issue. I can tell you there are plenty of people who take holidays.”

Reasons for wanting Rajiv Gandhi not to join politics

“If you genuinely care for politics, everything comes second. I felt that if he joins politics it would be the end of our happy family time. After my mother-in-law was assassinated I really didn’t want him to take that position. I suppose it was perhaps selfish but I also felt that they would have killed him. I was right it did happen.”

Views on minimum government

“I believe in a balanced government, not minimum or maximum.”

Slogans and Jumlas

“I am not fond of slogans or empty promises or jumlas. What do they mean? You don’t lie to people. But many politicians do that. Even today they (BJP) are making promises they cannot implement.”

Will Congress survive without Gandhis?

“Why not? In future they may well do.”

Soft Hindutva

“The BJP has managed to convince the people that the Congress is a ‘Muslim party’. I ask, in my party the great majority is Hindu and there are Muslims as well. So I fail to understand branding us as a ‘Muslim party’. With Rajiv I used to visit at least one major temple wherever we went but we never made a show of it. Because we have been pushed into a corner and so maybe we are focussing on the visit to the temples.”