Political strategist Prashant Kishor today dropped a truth bomb on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will continue to be a dominant player in Indian politics for decades to come.
"Whether the BJP wins or loses, it will be at the centre of Indian politics, just as the Congress was for the first 40 years. BJP is going nowhere. You're not going anywhere soon, once you get 30 percent of the vote in India."
Prashant Kishor is currently in Goa, supporting the TMC in establishing a foothold to fight elections.
While predicting a strong presence for the BJP in the coming decades, Kishor slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying he was probably under the impression that Modi's power would wane over time.
"Rahul Gandhi was wrong when he said that it's only a matter of time before people throw Narendra Modi away."
"That's the problem with Rahul Gandhi. Probably, he believes it is only a matter of time before people throw him (Narendra Modi). That's not going to happen," Kishor stated.
"So don't fall into the trap of thinking that people would become enraged and throw Modi out. Modi may be thrown out, but the BJP isn't going anywhere. You have to fight it out for decades," he warned.
Further, he remarked that "you will never be able to put a counter to defeat him until you examine, understand, and take cognizance of his (Modi's) strength."
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"The problem, in my opinion, is that most people do not spend enough time to learn about his strengths and what makes him popular. You can only find a counter if you know."
The election strategist went on to explain that “If you look at the electorate level, it is a fight between one-third and two-third. Only one third of people are voting for the BJP or wanting to support the BJP. The problem is that the two-third side is so fragmented that it is divided into 10, 12 or 15 political parties, and that is primarily because of the decline of the Congress.”
"Because the Congress has dwindled, the 65 percent has split, resulting in a large number of individuals and smaller parties," he explained.
Earlier, Mr Kishor had warned Congress about deep-rooted issues in the party and said that Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's move to meet the families of the farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh - and their widely reported confrontation with the police does not mean a "quick, spontaneous revival of a Congress-led opposition."
"Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes" for Congress's "deep-rooted problems and structural weaknesses," he said.