Current affairs

Prashant Kishor's audio clip leaked...How his open statement stirred controversy and favored BJP?

By alagu, 10 April, 2021
West Bengal, Trinamool Congress, BJP, Prashant Kishor

Amid the ongoing assembly polls, the state of West Bengal is surfaced with the latest tussle between the state ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Central ruling BJP. In a shocking fashion, TMC's political strategist Prashant Kishor is the epicenter of the tussle as his leaked audio clip put a thunderstorm in the state and stirred controversy, with the prospect of troubling Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Prashant Kishor has been working with TMC and he played a vital role in planning and executing the strategies for the TMC in West Bengal in the assembly polls. As the state is going through the eight phased polls, the ruling TMC aims to form the new government for the third consecutive time while the BJP works to have a political breakthrough in the state. Mamata Banerjee has been staunchly campaigning to seek the votes and to oust the BJP from the state. 

However, the leaked audio clip of Prashant Kishor was doing rounds on social media which had apparently troubled Mamata Banerjee. According to reports, Kishor had participated in a public chat on Clubhouse during which he claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a popular face in Bengal and his popularity was equal to that of Mamata Banerjee. 

Kishor went on to say that there is an anti-incumbency wave against TMC in the state and also said that the TMC, Congress, and Left had reportedly indulged in appeasing the Muslim Community in Bengal to gain votes in Assembly elections. Kishor was in a conversation with a few journalists during which he made such claims and the audio transcripts had come to light, it had infused fresh tensions on the ruling camp.

On the other hand, BJP, which took the audio clips as a favor to the party, had pitched into the field with a sign of what else it would need to display Modi's popularity and to claim that Kishor's statement is a reflection that the TMC will concede the defeat in the assembly polls. The BJP leaders have been releasing the excerpts of Kishor's audio clip and spreading it across social media. BJP leader Varun Puri took to Twitter and said that Prashant Kishor has confessed that Modi's magic is unbeatable in popularity and there is a wave of anti-incumbency against TMC.

Puri further quoted Kishor saying, "If you conduct a survey to find the best leader in Bengal, then Modi Ji is equal to Mamta if not higher in terms of popularity". BJP's social media chief Amit Malviya tweeted and shared at least four audio clips of Prashant Kishor in the conversation. Malviya has quoted as Kishor saying, "The vote is for Modi, polarisation is a reality, the SCs and Matuas are all voting for the BJP and BJP has cadre on the ground". 

By referring that Kishor wasn't aware that the conversation was open and public, Malviya wrote, "Is it open? That moment when Mamata Banerjee’s strategiest realized that the Club House room was open and his admissions were being heard by the public at large and not just a handful of Lutyens journalists. Deafening silence followed... TMC’s election was just thrown away!" 

While the state is shocked and perplexed with all these high-level political dramas, Prashant Kishor has opened up and responded back to the audio clip and asked the BJP to show courage and share the full chat. He further asserted that the Central ruling BJP won't breach 100 seats in the assembly polls. Taking to Twitter, Kishor said, "I am glad BJP is taking my chat more seriously than words of their own leaders! They should show courage & share the full chat instead of getting excited with selective use of parts of it. I have said this before & repeating again - BJP will not CROSS 100 in WB. Period." The state of West Bengal has gone to the fourth phase of the eight-phase polls on Saturday and the votes would be counted on May 2, during which the results will be announced. 

 

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