Under united Oppn, even Modi may lose Varanasi in 2019: Rahul Gandhi

Bengaluru: Forget the BJP winning the 2019 polls, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi might lose his Varanasi seat under a united opposition, asserted Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday. Pegging his confidence on opposition unity, Rahul said far from the BJP winning the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, even Modi might lose from Varanasi if the SP and the BSP were united against him.

Exuding confidence over roping in and managing alliance partners despite their varied personal and regional aspirations, Rahul predicted for the current ruling dispensation, a "collapse" not "seen in many years."

"Frankly, I don't see the BJP winning the next election, so in 2019 we will go back to the normal, I sense," he said in reply to a question on "Dalit anger." "...because there are two basic things, once opposition unity goes above a certain level, it becomes impossible to win elections. Now the opposition unity has gone to a point. It's simple," Rahul said at an informal media interaction.

Pointing at the opposition unity efforts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and by the DMK, the Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in Tamil Nadu, Gandhi asked, "Where are they (BJP) going to win seats?" And in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab. We will take it over."

"You are going to see a collapse of the style you haven't seen in many years," he said. Rahul was on the sixth leg of campaigning as part of the 'Janashirvada Yatra' ahead of the May 12 polls in Karnataka.

Responding to a question doubting the forging of opposition unity amid varied aspirations of each party and their leaders, Rahul expressed confidence of overcoming it. "We will manage it. We in the Congress know how to carry people, we are not egotistical people, we don't crush people and we don't destroy people's lives, so we will manage it," he said.

The basic thing is how to get the country out of the "mess that Mr Modi and RSS has put it in," he said. The Congress president also ruled out an emergence of any third front. Accusing the RSS of generating anger and hatred, Rahul alleged that people are being killed for what they are saying and that needs to be put to an end.

"The natural sort of political environment where there is a little bit of acrimony, but not hatred, needs to be restored," he said. Stating that Modi had a "very good" opportunity after the 2014 election, Rahul said a lot could have been done for the country.

Terming as "funny" the BJP's confidence of breaking the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh and claiming that he understands UP politics, Rahul said when the three parties (SP, BSP and Congress) come together, "BJP will win only two seats, that too with luck. He said even Modi may lose if he stands from Varanasi and the three parties were united against him. In fact, I challenge him to stand with three parties united," he added.

The BSP and the SP jointly fought Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats during the recent bypolls, costing the BJP both the seats, vacated respectively by Uttar Pradesh chief minister and deputy chief minister. Hitting out at Modi and the BJP, the Congress president said they have lost track of running the country.
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