2014 polls will be fight between Cong and RSS, not BJP: Jairam Ramesh

Bangalore, Oct 24: The next general elections would see a fight between Congress and RSS, not BJP, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday, calling the saffron party a “wholly-owned subsidiary” of the Sangh Parivar fountainhead.

Ramesh also hit out at BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, saying the opposition party was only projecting Modi, whereas “we are asking people to vote for our party and its ideology”.

“What has happened in the last few months has given proof of the fact that 2014 is not Congress versus BJP, but the fight is between Congress and RSS, because whatever the RSS orders, BJP follows,” Ramesh told reporters here.

“If proof is needed that the BJP is the wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company based in Nagpur called the RSS, what has happened in the last 12 to 15 months is adequate,” the Union Rural Development Minister said.

Claiming that BJP had lost its ground due to recent developments, Ramesh said 2014 would be a battle between Congress ideology and RSS ideology.

“It will be battle between ideologies of Congress and regional parties,” he said.

Hitting out at BJP and its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, he said the Congress election strategy was not about projecting any one individual.

“At the end of the day, voter has to decide. We are projecting the Congress party and BJP is projecting Modi and that is the fundamental difference between us. We are asking people to vote for our party and its ideology. Whether we get votes or not is different, but this is our strategy,” he said.

Ramesh said elections in India are not about fielding prime ministerial candidates.

“I think ultimately, this great perception of having declared someone as a prime ministerial candidate comes from a deep rooted insecurity complex,” he added.

The Minister said Congress and BJP are in direct competition with each other only in seven states — MP, Chhattisgarh, Uttara-khand, Himachal, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi.

“In rest of the states, there are other key regional players or there is no presence of BJP at all ....The only party that is fighting at the national level is Congress.” Accusing BJP of having communal motives, Ramesh said, “The real strategy of BJP is communal polarisation and Muzaffarnagar is only a trailer. The strategy of BJP is going to be to polarise the communal situation, particularly in UP and Bihar. Karnataka will also be no exception.” On talk about third front as an alternative, he said, “No front can govern without Congress or BJP. Without Congress or BJP, the front will become a behind.”