Bhopal: The catchy poll slogan, "60 days vs 60 months", coined by the ruling Congress in Madhya Pradesh to flaunt the Kamal Nath-led government's achievements in his first two months in office is set to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma in the four-phased voting for the state's 29 Lok Sabha seats starting April 29.
The Congress slogan aims to take the wind out of BJP's sails as the saffron party plans a campaign blitzkrieg to showcase the flagship schemes of the Modi government such as Swachh Bharat, Prime Minister Awas Yojana, Ujjala Yojana, among others.
Key achievements of the two-month-old Kamal Nath government that would be showcased to add muscle to Congress campaign include crop loan waiver, provision of unemployment allowance and 27 per cent reservation for OBC in government jobs.
Star campaigners of party from MP and outside are also set to harp on the achievements of the Kamal Nath government to influence voters during the campaign, making it a chief minister versus Prime Minister in the upcoming LS polls in MP.
"The strategy was evolved to render any attempt by BJP to hype weaknesses of Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the electioneering, ineffective," the Congress leader revealed requesting not to be quoted.
That's the reason why the number of public meetings scheduled to be addressed by Mr Gandhi during the period have been limited to barely a dozen in the state, he added.
"The '60 days vs 60 months' slogan was coined to smash to smithereens the development poll plank of BJP in the upcoming general elections in MP," said a Congress spokesperson.
"Our party is set to project the welfare schemes devised and implemented by the Kamal Nath government in its first two months to benefit all sections of people including farmers, women, unemployed youth and dalits and OBCs to counter the BJP," he said.
The Congress has released videos in which Mr Nath is heard highlighting his achievements.
By pushing Mr Nath to the forefront of the Congress campaign, the party may blunt the BJP's move to make corruption charges against the Gandhi family a major poll plank in the elections, he pointed out.
Mr Nath is going to steer Congress campaign in the upcoming LS elections in MP since other star campaigner of the party, AICC general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia, is likely to be busy in spearheading party's electioneering in western Uttar Pradesh, the party leader said.
Of total 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP, BJP currently holds 26, leaving the rest to Congress.
The key poll strategy of the Congress is to cash in on the chief minister's image, cultivated in last two months, as a development-oriented leader to counter Mr Modi's charisma.
In one promotional videos released by the Congress, Mr Nath is heard showcasing his achievements of writing off crop loans of farmers to the tune of 'lakh each, and establishment of a committee to recommend permanent solution to farm distress in MP.
The chief minister has claimed that crop loans of 20 lakh farmers have already been waived and the rest 30 lakh farmers would be covered under the scheme after the polls.
"It is no mean task to work out farm outstanding proposal, christened as Jai Kisan Crop Loan Waiver scheme, involving 55 lakh beneficiaries, and implement it in just two months despite severe resource crunch facing the state. We will project it as our outstanding achievement," said a senior Congress leader, one of the key members of the election war room of the party.
