She added the Congress and its allies in the UPA will return to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“The main issue with the BJP is that they made huge fantastic promises. But what is being implemented? They sold such a positive picture – we will give jobs, give you Rs1.5mn. There is great disappointment. I am confident the BJP’s ‘achhe din’ will actually turn into ‘India Shining’ – which brought us to power (in 2004),” she said at an India Today conclave here.
Sonia took several questions after her address at the event.
The Congress leader said there was a lot of disappointment among people over the promises made by the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2014 elections.
The then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government lost power in the 2004 elections despite a massive ‘India Shining’ campaign and expectations that it will do well.
Sonia said the Congress and its allies will not let Modi get another term in office at the Centre. “We are going to come back. We are not going to let them come back,” she quipped.
About BJP and its allies now ruling 22 states and the reasons for Congress decline in the 2014 polls, Gandhi said the UPA had been in power for two terms of five years each and definitely there was certain amount of anti-incumbency.
“People felt perhaps they wanted a new person. There were other issues. Also, I think we were out-marketed because we couldn’t compete with the manner in which Modi and his party went into elections,” she said.
Congress chief from outside family ‘possible’
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi yesterday said there may be a Congress president from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family in future, adding that she opted for Manmohan Singh as prime minister in 2004 as he was a better candidate for the post than her. “Why not? In future there may well be,” Gandhi shot back when asked at the India Today conclave here if there was a chance of a leader from outside the family heading the Congress. On if the Congress will survive without Sonia as its leader, she said the question should be put to Congress workers. She said there has been a tradition in the Congress and the leaders are elected democratically. She also referred to dynasties in the US such as that of the Bush family and the Clintons and also to dynasties in several states of India. Asked if she was the only glue for the party, she smiled and said it was a tough question. “There are many Congressmen, you can ask them.”