Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, visited Ahmedabad on Saturday. He spoke to party workers and shared his intentions to interact with families impacted by recent tragedies in the state.
Gandhi's visit was intended to express sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives in the Morbi bridge collapse, the Vadodara boat capsize, and the Rajkot game zone fire. The families of five Congress workers who were detained after a violent altercation with BJP workers outside the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) office were also met by him.
Rahul Gandhi took the opportunity to launch an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He asserted that his party would defeat the BJP in the state in the next election, comparing the future victory to their success in Ayodhya (Faizabad Constituency) during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Taking a dig at PM Modi, Gandhi said, “They (BJP) have challenged us by threatening us and damaging our office. Let me tell you that we are together going to break their government like they damaged our office. Likh ke le lo (take it in writing) that the Congress will contest in Gujarat and defeat Narendra Modi and BJP in Gujarat like we did in Ayodhya."
Attacking PM Modi, Rahul said that PM was told by surveyors that he would lose in Ayodhya and that his political career would end, which is why he did not run for elections from Ayodhya and chose Varanasi to contest in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
He emphasised the significance of Gujarat (a strong bastion of BJP) to the Congress party, drawing a connection to Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. “Congress will win Gujarat, and from Gujarat, a new Congress party will be formed. Where was Congress formed? Our biggest leader who showed us the way when the Britishers were ruling us was Mahatma Gandhi, who gave this slogan of "daro mat darao mat and the fire started from Gujarat."
Gandhi also addressed the clash outside the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, stating, "This is where they broke our office. I thought we would teach them (the BJP) a lesson; Unki sarkar ko todne ja rahe hain (We will break their government).”
Rahul Gandhi highlighted the reasons behind BJP's loss in the Faizabad constituency, which includes Ayodhya. He said, “To clean up the area in Ayodhya to construct the Ram Temple, a lot of land was taken from the people and till date, the Narendra Modi government has not compensated them. Secondly, an international airport was built in Ayodhya on the land of farmers and even they were not compensated properly. Thirdly, not a single person of Ayodhya was present in the Ram Temple inauguration which enraged the people. These were the reasons why NDA lost in Ayodhya and INDIA alliance won. BJP has failed the movement started by LK Advani ji around Ayodhya."
"Adani and Ambani were visible at the event but no poor person was seen there," he added.
He also addressed the internal issues within the Gujarat Congress, urging for better organisation and dedication. “There are two types of horses – one for racing and the other for weddings. I was told that sometimes the Congress swaps both. Get this stopped. So we have to do this in Gujarat. Those who want to run and are ready to race, we will let them do so.”
Gandhi concluded his speech by emphasizing the need for a strong manifesto and a clear vision for Gujarat. “We have to make a similar one for Gujarat after meeting and talking to lakhs of people from Gujarat, we will give a vision to Gujarat and defeat the BJP. Narendra Modi’s vision, the bubble, has burst."
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