New Delhi: In a marked shift from its previous strategy, the AAP is likely to refrain from directly attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Instead, it will focus its attack on BJP as a whole. The change in track has come after poll defeats in recently held assembly and municipal elections.
A case in point is how the beleaguered party reacted to the CBI’s recent visit to the premises of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and health minister Satyendar Jain for “seeking clarifications” in two different cases.
Vexed by the move, the AAP launched an attack on the agency. “The CBI raids deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s residence at the behest of the BJP-ruled Centre,” the party said. This was in sharp contrast to the tone the AAP resorted to in the past.
When the agency had raided the office of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in December 2015, the incensed AAP supremo had accused Mr Modi of issuing the CBI and had called him a “coward” and a “psychopath”
According to party workers, the AAP’s policy of constantly targeting the Prime Minister appeared to have had an adverse impact on its poll performances in Punjab, Goa, and Delhi. While the party won 20 of Punjab’s 117 Assembly seats in recent state polls, it drew a blank in the Goa polls. In the Delhi civic body polls, it came second to the BJP.
Even when dalits were flogged in Una in Gujarat or after dalit scholar Rohith Vemula allegedly committed suicide in Hyderabad, Mr Kejriwal’s attack revolved around Mr Modi.
A sample analysis of Mr Kejriwal tweets, who has over 11 million followers, second only to Mr Modi, post Punjab and Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll results speaks volumes on this. From March 4 to 10 — the week leading up to the results on March 11 — Mr Kejriwal tweeted and retweeted 181 tweets.
Of these, 49 had reference to Mr Modi, almost all bashing him, 22 were attacking the BJP and the RSS while 88 tweets were eulogising the work done by the Delhi government. The rest were general tweets. From March 11-17, the week after the results, Mr Kejriwal did not post even one tweet attacking Mr Modi but his sporadic attack on the BJP continued.
AAP leader Mr Ashutosh denied that there is any change in the party’s strategy.
