Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has dismissed the prediction of political strategist Prashant Kishor that the party is going to lose big in the ensuing Assembly elections.
The ruling party said that he is now a politician and not a strategist. The YSRCP leaders mentioned that Prashant Kishor’s prediction had proved wrong in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Speaking at a programme in Hyderabad on Sunday, Prashant Kishor, who had played a key role in YSRCP’s massive victory in 2019, predicted that it is going to lose big in the ensuing polls.
YSRCP parliamentary party leader V. Vijayasai Reddy, however, said Prashant Kishor was speaking without logical data. “Do not rely on Prashant Kishor’s ‘gut’ who is speaking without logical data after meeting Chandrababu Naidu for four hours,” the Rajya Sabha member posted on ‘X’.
“His ‘gut’ has also no relevance in present-day contemporary politics. AP Govt.’s welfare schemes were a savior of crores of people during COVID and provided a wide safety net to our people,” said Vijayasai Reddy.
State industries minister Gudivada Amarnath wondered if one should believe the gut feeling of 5 crore people of the state or gut feeling of a politician from Bihar. “Prashant Kishor worked as a political strategist in the past. He is now running a political party in Bihar,” he said.
The YSRCP leader said the ‘yellow media’ organisations backing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its allies were quick to spread the prediction of Prashant Kishor.
“The gut feeling of the poor in Andhra Pradesh is that Chandrababu Naidu, Pawan Kalyan and those who are going to support them will suffer humiliating defeat,” he said.
The minister claimed that the poor who benefited from Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of over 2.50 lakh crore during the last five years are backing Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“If YSRCP is going to lose despite implementing many welfare schemes, why did Prashant Kishor design ‘super six’ schemes for TDP which will require Rs 1.20 lakh crore every year,” he asked.
Amarnath asked if Prashant Kishor believed that Chandrababu Naidu will win, why did he advise him to have alliance with Pawan Kalyan and BJP.
“Under Jagan government, the state has marched ahead in all sectors including agriculture, industry, service, welfare. In the past, there was no development and welfare. How can he predict their victory.”
The YSRCP leader remarked Chandrababu Naidu was not content with one PK (Pawan Kalyan), hence he roped in another PK (Prashant Kishor).
Another minister Ambati Rambabu said former Congress MP, L. Rajagopal, had to take ‘sanyas’ after making a wrong prediction. “Now Prashant Kishor is ready to take sanyas,” he remarked.