NE NEWS SERVICE
KOTHUR (TELANGANA), OCT 31
The Congress has a “solid base” in Gujarat and will win the upcoming assembly polls, former party chief Rahul Gandhi said on Monday, contending that there is “massive” anti-incumbency against the BJP while the AAP is “only in the air” with no support on the ground.
LIVE: Shri @RahulGandhi's interaction with media in Kothur amid Telangana leg of the #BharatJodoYatra. https://t.co/VRJJQnUAL3
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 31, 2022
Addressing a press conference here during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said the march is ”not a magic wand” but a good first step to connect with the people. He also ruled out any alliance with the TRS, saying it is “diametrically opposite” to what the Congress stands for.
- AAP is only in the air. It has nothing on the ground: Senior Congress leader
- Addressing a press conference here during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said the march is ”not a magic wand” but a good first step to connect with the people.
Dismissing the challenge posed by Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat, Gandhi said the Congress has a solid base in the state.
LIVE: Evening leg of #BharatJodoYatra resumes from Kothur, Telangana. https://t.co/CcTG4kDwoT
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 31, 2022
“Congress is fighting the Gujarat elections effectively and the Congress will win the polls. AAP is only in the air. It has nothing on the ground,” he told reporters here to questions on his party’s prospects in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.
“There is massive anti-incumbency. The media has created a buzz based on the advertisements given by AAP. The Congress party is a solid party in Gujarat. The Congress is going to win the election there,” he said.
On when and where he will campaign in the poll-bound states of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, Gandhi said, “Kharge Ji is the president of the party and he will decide how I am to be utilised.”
In the 2017 Gujarat assembly polls, the Congress had put up a spirited fight and bagged 77 seats to the BJP’s 99. However, there have been several defections from the Congress post-2017 and their current tally in the assembly stands at 62, while the BJP’s tally has risen to 111.
Many political observers feel that the Congress is on a weak footing this time and with the Aam Aadmi Party being a contender this time, it would be a triangular contest that could dent the Congress’ chances.
On a question about the tragedy in Morbi where a bridge collapsed leaving more than 130 dead, Gandhi said he did not wish to politicise the incident.
“I don’t want to politicise this incident. People have died here. It is disrespectful for them to politicise this incident, so I am not going to do it,” Gandhi said. A two-minute silence was held in memory of those killed in the tragic accident.
Asked about his remarks at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir that the Congress’ connection with the people has been broken and how far he has been able to reestablish it with the Yatra, Gandhi insisted that he had stated that the connection of the Congress Party with the people has “weakened”.
“The connect of the Congress party with the people has not broken in any way, but it has weakened. This is a good first step in connecting with the people, it is not a magic wand…The Congress party is an idea. It stands for a certain vision of India… but I think, there is a lot of work that has to be done,” Gandhi added.
On a question about the OBC census, Gandhi said as far as the OBC census is concerned, it is the Congress that came up with the idea and did the census.
“I am very clear, I have absolutely no question in my mind, the OBC census needs to be made public. People need to understand the makeup of India’s population,” he asserted.
The former Congress chief said the fight in India today is between two ideologies — one that is seeking to divide the nation and the other that wants to bring the nation together.
‘The line is very clear. I feel, and the Congress party feels, that it is very important that the Opposition works together harmoniously to defeat the ideology of the RSS and the BJP,” Gandhi said.
