By Sundeep Pouranik
Raipur, Mar 19 (IANS): The statements made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Cambridge University have created nationwide political turmoil. However, the Chhattisgarh polls remain unaffected as the state Congress is unfazed.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has weaponised the statements and its leaders have been presenting the issue as a battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gandhi.
The statements also led to an uproar in Parliament and affected the proceedings in the second phase of the budget session, which have been stalled since the session commenced on Monday.
The BJP leaders have demanded that Gandhi should apologise for his remarks and have been alleging that Gandhi defamed India in a foreign land.
The chairman of the communications department of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, Sushil Anand Shukla, said that the BJP tries to present such narratives before every election and attempts to win the polls on its basis, as it does not do any worthwhile work.
He stated that the saffron party is trying to divert the attention of the people from the Adani issue.
Shukla, while referring to Gandhi's allegations of being silenced as his mic was shut off during the parliamentary proceedings, added that not allowing a politician to speak in Parliament and shutting off his mic is against democratic norms.
Shukla added that all the opposition parties have united and are demanding the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Adani issue.
He stated that the BJP is worried by the opposition unity and has no clue about its next step.
The state Congress is unconcerned by the BJP's constant attempts at turning the entire political contest into Modi vs. Rahul, and believes that it will win the polls as the state government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has done a lot to bring positive changes in the lives of the common people.
Political analysts believe that national issues do not influence state politics as much as the work of local politicians does.
The Baghel government is moving ahead with this belief and that will benefit the Congress in the Assembly elections, added the analysts.
They stated that such national issues will certainly affect the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.