Will remove Congress leaders working for BJP: Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat
Rahul Gandhi said the Congress has not been able to fulfil expectations Gujarat had from its leaders for the last 30 years
Ahmedabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the party will remove those leaders who were secretly working for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing party workers on the second day of his two-day Gujarat visit, Gandhi pointed out internal challenges within the party’s Gujarat unit.
“There are two types of people in the Gujarat Congress leadership and among workers. Those who are honest with people, who fight for them, respect them and have the ideology of the Congress in their heart. Then there are others who sit far away from the people, do not respect them, and half of whom are with the BJP,” he said.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the party’s prime job should be to filter these two groups, even if it means taking strict action of removing them. Till the two groups are separated, the people of Gujarat will not be able to restore faith in the party, he said.
“For our district, block presidents and senior leaders, the party should find a place in their hearts. They should carry Congress in their blood. Let us leave aside the issue of winning and losing elections. As soon as we do that, the people of Gujarat would like to join our organisation.”
He asserted that people across the state are struggling while key industries like diamond, textile, and ceramics have deteriorated significantly.
“Gujarat’s farmers are desperate for fresh leadership. The vision that has guided the state for the past 20-25 years has proven ineffective. The Congress party is well-positioned to deliver the new direction needed, but this cannot happen until these two categories of people are filtered,” he said.
In the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress won only 17 of the 182 seats in the state with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagging 156, its biggest ever victory in the state. However, the Congress party’s strength in the House dropped to 12 after the resignation of five MLAs.
“I am not speaking out of shame or fear, but I want to put this before you—we are unable to show Gujarat the way,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi pointed out that the Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for over three decades, and whenever he visits the state, the discussions revolve around elections.
“But the question is not about elections. Unless we fulfil our responsibilities, the people of Gujarat will not let us win the elections. And we should not ask the people to give us the government till we fulfil our responsibilities. The day we have fulfilled our responsibilities, I can guarantee that all the people of Gujarat will support us,” he said.
Gandhi said the Congress has not been able to fulfil expectations Gujarat had from its leaders for the last 30 years. Gujarat gave the Congress its original leadership, way of thinking, fighting and living in Mahatma Gandhi, he said.
“Without Gandhi, the Congress would not have been able to get independence for the country,” he said, adding that Sardar Patel, one of the five greatest leaders of the Congress, also hailed from Gujarat.
He said there is no shortage of leaders in the Congress at the district, block, and senior levels, but “they are in chains”.
“Our leaders, including me, will have to go amid the people of Gujarat, listen to their voices, what they expect from me, what we can do for them—for their education, health, and future. We are here to listen to you,” Gandhi said.
He said the party could come to power in the state if it manages to increase its vote share by 5%, citing the example of Telangana, where it managed a 22% increase in the vote share.
Gandhi, on the first day of his visit on Friday, had held meetings with party leaders and district and block-level presidents.
The upcoming All India Congress Committee (AICC) session is scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad on April 8-9. It will be held in the state after 64 years.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Gandhi’s statement regarding removal of 30-40 leaders shows he is questioning his own cadre. “He is calling his own leaders “gaddar” because they lose elections. The fact is, they mostly lose because of him,” he said in a post on X while adding that Gandhi’s statement would demoralise Congress workers even more.
(with inputs from PTI)
