New Delhi:

Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta today accused the BJP of reversing its ideology, giving conflicting messages, arrogance and undermining people’s self-respect. Speaking to NDTV in an exclusive interview, Mr Gupta said the party has lost direction and credibility thanks to leaders with “leftist views”, who are arrogant enough to ignore grassroots feedback. are

Although he did not name anyone, he made his target clear, “the person who is handling communications for the party”. This leader, Mr. Gupta said, not only failed to call when his father was ill and in hospital, but was also responsible for many false messages emanating from the party.

“Ever since he took charge, there have been many issues, nationalism, Sanatan, alliance with Aam Aadmi Party… I was very worried along with many others. But we soldiered on,” he said. They said. The final straw was when she didn’t even receive a polite call about her father. “I thought it was time to call it a day… it was a matter of self-respect,” Mr Gupta told NDTV.

While the Congress has yet to comment on his departure — Mr. Gupta is the latest in a string of leaders from the party’s communications section to quit — he tackled the thorny issue of the party’s response.

“Whenever someone leaves, there is criticism — ‘He left because of greed, he was afraid’ — what about self-respect? When people like us give feedback from the ground, it should be heard, Leaders who cannot listen should not listen. A free run should be given,” he said.

Asked why he decided to join the BJP, which he has come under heavy criticism from the Congress, he said it was about the party’s long-term vision. He said that today the BJP stands for everything that the Congress once stood for. “Basically the two core values, centralist policies and nationalism, helped the Congress rule for 60 years,” he said.

But in the past two years, these values ​​have been overtaken by leftist ideologies, which were at the root of the Congress’s refusal to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and criticism of businessmen who played a role in the country’s development.

“Congress was never like this,” he said, referring to the party that once brought in liberalization and stood for economic development of the country.

He said that turning away from the temple was also a big mistake. He added that when the faith and sentiments of millions of people are involved, it should not be ignored. “You could have skipped the opening, but could have easily gone to another day,” he said.

While Congress chiefs Mallikarjan Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary declined invitations to inaugurate the temple, the party did not ban any leader from visiting. But most took their cue from him, and barring a handful of leaders from Uttar Pradesh, few have visited the temple.

Asked how the Congress could lie, since Rahul Gandhi is in the habit of visiting temples, Mr. Gupta said that Rahul Gandhi listens to his advisors. “But one should also choose the right advisers… How can a man who has never contested an election give the right advice? He does not know the basic issues,” he said.

Asked what he plans to do about the tweets that criticized the BJP, whether he would delete them, he said, “I’m not ashamed of my past, I Worked loyally for a party for 15 years. I feel the party is more happy with my vision or mission and now I am trying to change gracefully”.