Need to filter out those Congress leaders who work for BJP, says Rahul Gandhi

Ahmedabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said there was a need to filter out leaders and workers from his party who were working for the BJP and warned of strict action, even removals.

Addressing party workers on the second day of his two-day Gujarat visit, the party’s first job was to separate two groups of Congress workers and leaders — ones who carry the party ideology in their hearts and stand with the public and the others who were cut off from the public, “half of whom are with the BJP”.

Meanwhile, the BJP took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks and said he should first understand that he is responsible for his party’s defeat in elections and stop blaming others for his “failures”.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Rahul Gandhi has trolled himself and his party in Gujarat, and shown a mirror to himself - He was putting blame on Kharge ji and his party workers for his failures.”

“He said more than half of his party leaders were in cohorts with the BJP while he got his party defeated in more than 90 elections. In this sense, he is the biggest asset of the BJP,” Poonawalla said, taking a dig at Gandhi.

“Are you in cohorts with the BJP,” the BJP spokesperson asked Gandhi in a video byte posted on X.

Poonawalla asked Gandhi to first evaluate himself to “realise” why he has become a “non performing asset” for the party, instead putting blame on “electronic voting machines, the election commission, electoral rolls, his party workers and people”. “If getting the party defeated in the election is an art, the artist is Rahul Gandhi,” he charged.

Gandhi’s visit to the state is focused on the 2027 Assembly polls, for which he has hinted at a major overhaul in the party’s state unit and assured a strong plan to defeat the BJP.

“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,” he said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the party’s first job should be to filter these two groups, even if it means taking strict action of removing people.

Till the two groups are separated, the people of Gujarat will not believe in the party, he said.

Gandhi 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. Put the issue of winning and losing the elections aside. As soon as we do that, the people of Gujarat would like to join our organisation, and we will open the door for them.”

He claimed that the people of the state are trapped, and the diamond, textile and ceramic industry is in shambles.

“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,” he said.

He said Gujarat wants to move forward but is unable to see the way ahead, and the Congress is unable to show it the way.

“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.

He pointed out that 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. 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. In the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, the 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.