Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Vishwajit Rane praised the hard work and the networking of the BJP. (File)
As the Congress's wipeout in five states yesterday reinforced its shrinking size in Indian politics, two of its alums who are now BJP leaders contrasted the working styles of the rival parties.
The Congress lost Punjab, one of the last major states under its control, to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and failed to put up a strong fight in three other states where it had hoped for a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Vishwajit Rane, who have both made the switch from the Congress to BJP, praised the hard work, networking and connectivity of the ruling party.
Uttar Pradesh leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who was close to the Gandhis when she was in the Congress, told NDTV that her former party "lives in a bubble" and has "no hardworking leadership" or vision.
People are "not accepting the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra", the BJP parliamentarian remarked.
"They (Congress) feel the family alone can resurrect the party. They don't have leadership. They don't have vision. And I've seen there is no hardworking leadership in that party. Their workers have all disappeared. There are only a few leaders at the district level. They are all seasonal politicians. When elections come close, they all come together," Ms Joshi said.
She also critiqued Priyanka Gandhi, who led the Congress campaign in UP.
"What Priyanka Gandhi did was coming out for elections three months before and giving catchy slogans. People are not interested in catchy slogans. They want substantial work and connectivity with the leadership, which the congress doesn't have and the BJP has," said the BJP MP.
Ms Joshi was apparently also impressed by the sheer "networking and hard work" in the BJP.
"You should see the network of BJP. When I came into the BJP and I saw their networking - and the amount of hard work they put in - their workers are always on their toes and all their leaders are also on their toes, like the workers. Social media is fine but personal connectivity is very important," she said.
Vishwajit Rane quit the Congress after the party's 2017 fiasco in Goa, when it failed to form government even after emerging the single largest party. The BJP gained the support of smaller parties and independents and took power.
"The BJP is totally a disciplined party. The Congress has totally lost connect with the people. Just working for elections and getting on board candidates who are financially strong is not going to help. Continuous working, like a simple karyakarta (worker), and being in touch with the grassroots on a regular basis, irrespective of elections...There's a different working style in BJP,"Mr Rane told NDTV.
"We have got into the system, we know how to work, we know how to win the election. It requires a lot of discipline. The family alone cannot win votes for the party. It is the work at the grassroots and getting the people together, which is very much required," added the Goa minister, whose wife Divya Rane also won the election this time.