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Rahul Gandhi’s big allegation came on the second day of his two-day Gujarat visit, amid reports of an impending overhaul of the state Congress unit.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (Image/PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a big claim on Saturday, accusing some party leaders of working for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said 30-40 Congress leaders can be sacked if required.
Rahul Gandhi made the remarks during the second day of his Gujarat visit, where he said there was a need to filter out leaders and workers from his party’s Gujarat unit who were secretly working for the BJP, warning of strict action going as far as removals.
Gandhi’s visit focuses on the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections, and he warned that he could sack up to 40 leaders if needed to clean the party in the BJP-ruled state, where Congress has been out of power for decades.
“There are two types of people in the Gujarat Congress leadership and among workers. Those who are honest with people, fight for them, respect them and have the ideology of the Congress in their heart. And the others who are cut off from the people sit far away, do not respect them, and half of whom are with the BJP,” the Congress leader said while addressing party workers.
Gandhi warned of strict action against those working for the rival political party. “If we have to connect with the people of Gujarat, we need to do two things. The first task is to separate these two groups. Even if we have to remove 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 people, we are ready to do that to set an example,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Congress Failed To Meet Expectations, Says Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi asserted that unless these two groups were separated, the people of Gujarat would not repose their faith in the Congress. He said the party should “find a place in their hearts” by setting winning and losing elections aside. Attacking the BJP government, he said the people felt “trapped” and key industries were in ruins.
“Look at farmers of Gujarat. They are screaming for a new vision. The vision of the last 20-25 years has failed, and Congress can provide this vision easily. But this is not possible unless these two types of people are filtered,” the LoP said, acknowledging that Congress has not been in power for over 30 years and the party has not been able to fulfill expectations of the people
“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.
He said that all party leaders of Congress will have to work hard by going amidst the people and listening to their opinions and expectations, adding that the party can make a comeback in the state even if the vote share increases by 5%.
In the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, Congress won only 17 of the 182 seats in the state. However, the party’s strength in the House dropped to 12 after the resignation of five MLAs. The BJP has governed the state since 1995.
BJP Responds To Rahul Gandhi’s Claims
The BJP responded to Rahul Gandhi’s claims, saying he had “trolled” his own party in Gujarat, making him the “biggest asset” of the party in the state.
“Rahul Gandhi brutally trolled his own party and showed himself the mirror. He should have hesitated a bit,” said BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla. “If losing elections is an art, then Rahul Gandhi is the artist. He has lost 90+ elections. You are the biggest asset of the BJP. Are you involved with the BJP yourself?”
“If you (Gandhi) want to achieve self-realisation, then you should evaluate yourself and see why you are a non-performing asset for the Congress. Please stop calling your party workers animals. Stop disrespecting a politician like (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji,” he added.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh also took a swipe at Gandhi. “The workers of Gujarat have expressed that they have no faith in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi…When questions are raised on the leadership, then the supporters and cadres leave the party,” he told reporters.
(with PTI inputs)
