Telangana was not the state in question. It wasn’t a matter of ideology. According to NDTV, political strategist Prashant Kishor’s latest round of talks with the Congress on improving the 137-year-old party’s ailing fortunes fell through due to the most obvious of stalemates.
While the 45-year-old wanted a free hand to make major changes and act as a disruptor, the Congress leadership was wary of a total overhaul, preferring incremental changes instead, according to congressional sources.
His history of assisting everyone from the BJP to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in winning elections was also not a sticking point, according to a leader.
“The difference was in how the revival was carried out. PK aspired to be a game-changer. The party desired gradual changes “he stated.
The Congress was hesitant to hand over control to an outsider from the start, and Prashant Kishor was wary of having his hands tied after witnessing the party’s disastrous 2017 Uttar Pradesh election campaign, according to sources.
According to sources, the announcement on Tuesday that they were parting ways was mutual and there was no acrimony after several rounds of talks, presentations, deliberations between the two sides, and any-moment-now signals sent to the media.
“Before the announcement and the tweets, there was a meeting between Prashant Kishor and the leadership where it was mutually agreed that an agreement could not be reached,” one leader said, declining to be identified.
The formal announcements were made on Twitter by Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and Prashant Kishor only then, carefully avoiding any harsh words.
On the surface, the Congress offered Prashant Kishor exactly what it was willing to offer: another seat at the “Empowered Action Group” discussion table. Mr Kishor politely but quickly declined the offer.
The developments echo last year’s round of failed talks between the two sides when they failed to “take a leap of faith,” as Mr Kishor put it.
“To others, the coming together of Prashant Kishor and Congress appears natural. However, both parties must take a leap of faith to collaborate.
“With the Congress, that did not happen,” he told NDTV in January, reiterating what Congresswoman Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had said earlier.
“I had a bad experience working with them on UP,” says the author (2017 elections). As a result, I was sceptical. I didn’t want to go in with my hands tied… the Congress leadership is right to be sceptical about whether I will be 100 percent loyal to them because of my background,” Mr Kishor had said, adding that he believes the party needs a “revamp” to defeat the BJP.
