In the latest Saamana editorial, the Shiv Sena has asked its alliance partner Congress Party to throw away its pseudo-secularism as an ideology and create counter-narratives against the BJP instead. The party in its mouthpiece Saamana has lashed out at the Congress asking how much more it is going to lose. It has also alleged that the BJP is doing propaganda by fuelling issues over the hijab controversy and with movies like The Kashmir Files.
After Congress’ brutal loss in the assembly elections, its Maha Vikas Aghadi ally in Maharashtra – the Shiv Sena has found an opportunity to lecture Congress on how the BJP should be countered. The editorial piece in Saamana highlighted how Congress is unable to fight ‘fake narratives’ created by the BJP. It pointed out that Congress should employ innovative methods to counter the narratives the BJP allegedly creates through movies like The Kashmir Files and through the hijab issue. The piece has also hit out at the G-23 group inside Congress by accusing its leaders of not helping Congress enough during the elections.
Vents anger against the G-23 leaders
Slamming the rebellious G-23 leaders in the congress, the editorial piece affirmed that only the Gandhis could lead the Congress party. “Even if we leave the Gandhis, is there even a single leader among the G-23 who has the ability to take forward the congress?” the article asks. In an informal snide, it said that the G-23 leaders have finished everything off the Congress’ buffet, and while nothing is left after the defeat, they have nothing to offer as well. Saamana asked how many of the G-23 leaders were present on the ground during the assembly election campaigns.
“Apart from P. Chidambaram, KC Venugopal, Sachin Pilot and Bhupesh Baghel there was Priyanka Gandhi in the UP and Rahul was visible in the Goa, Uttarakhand and Punjab. While 23-Carat leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal were not present during election rallies, it looks like they were enjoying the desperation of the Gandhis during the election,” the piece read.
‘Congress needs to come out of its old traditions’
Shiv Sena’s editorial asserted that Congress needs to create an alternate narrative against the BJP’s hegemony. It adds, “When Rahul Gandhi rightfully says that the BJP needs to be challenged in inventive ways, how many people from his own party are ready to take up the challenge?” While suggesting that even the Gandhi aides are not capable of holding their own turf, the piece highlighted the loss of Harish Rawat in Uttarakhand. “The Congress party cadre is weak. There are no attractive faces, except for Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan who in turn doesn’t allow new party workers to bloom.”
“The way BJP is fighting elections now can’t be tackled by old and traditional methods,” the Sena mouthpiece said.
Narrative game against the BJP
The Shiv Sena alleged that the BJP’s ‘cyber-army’ is creating fake narratives. It noted that while the BJP leaders put forth such narratives in Bengal and Maharashtra, they could not succeed. In the game of narratives, Akhilesh Yadav in the UP fought well against BJP, it suggested. However, it is alleged that Congress is failing to fight such narratives.
The article stated, “But the Congress is unable to fight these fake narratives. The Congress and others should now learn to create narratives the way it is done by creating issues around the hijab row or spreading fake propaganda through films like The Kashmir Files.” With the release of The Kashmir Files, Shiv Sena has suggested that the BJP’s opponents are failing to tell the people that ‘It was VP Singh’s government supported by the BJP and its aide Jagmohan, the Governor of Kashmir when the exodus happened’. “The real truth behind the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is altogether different,” the piece added.
In conclusion, Shiv Sena has advised Congress to do away with its ‘hijab’ of Pseudo-Secularism and get rid of some leaders without worrying about the repercussions. While the party has maintained that this is an internal matter of the Congress, Shiv Sena said that it is open about this issue for the sake of a united opposition.
