As the new state Congress chief, former minister Vijay (Balasaheb) Thorat has the unenviable task of leading the party in the state assembly polls due later this year. Speaking to DNA's Dhaval Kulkarni, Thorat said they would campaign on the issue of the state government's failure in tackling issues like rural distress and the state of the economy. The Lok Sabha polls saw Congress being handed a crushing defeat in Maharashtra. What are the reasons according to you? The Lok Sabha polls were fought on national issues. The people have realised they have been hoodwinked on issues (like national security) which were used to sway votes. This diverted attention from failures like demonetisation and the poor state of the economy. The Congress has been facing huge attrition with your leader of opposition choosing to walk away... There is no point in discussing those who have left. However, the Congress has seen worse days and has managed to overcome them. This happened even during late Indira Gandhi's time. Then, people questioned if the Congress would continue to exist, but we managed to get over the situation. What will be your main poll plank in the Maharashtra assembly? Our poll plank will be the failure of the state government in the past five years. The rural economy is in the doldrums and farmers are facing huge distress. Urban markets and industries are in trouble. Economic activity has been impacted. The people have realised this.

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