Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a party workers' convention, in Ahmedabad, Saturday, July 6, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Ahmedabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said by trouncing the BJP in Ayodhya, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc has defeated the Ram temple movement once led by L K Advani, and expressed confidence that the saffron party will meet the same fate in Gujarat in the next election.
He said the Congress has been challenged and threatened by the BJP, but it will defeat the saffron party and Narendra Modi in Gujarat just the way it was defeated in Ayodhya.
Gandhi was addressing party workers here days after the Congress and BJP clashed outside the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) office when saffron party workers went there to protest against his (Gandhi's) remarks on Hindus.
"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. Take it in writing that Congress will contest in Gujarat and defeat Narendra Modi and BJP in Gujarat like we did in Ayodhya," he said.
Congress will win Gujarat, and from this state it will make a new start, he said.
Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the BJP's defeat from the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, where Ayodhya is located.
"By defeating BJP in Ayodhya, I.N.D.I.A. bloc has defeated the Ram Mandir movement that was launched by the BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani. What I am saying is something very big... Congress party and I.N.D.I.A. bloc defeated them in Ayodhya," the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
Congress will defeat BJP in Gujarat because the "balloon of Modi's vision has burst", he said.
"In Parliament, I asked the prime minister as to whether he was a human being as he himself said he was non-biological and has a direct connection with god. If you are directly connected to god, then how were you defeated in Ayodhya?" he asked.
"The PM believes that everyone else is biological - people of Gujarat, Gandhiji, farmers and labourers of India are biological while Narendra Modi is non-biological...How can a person who thinks he is non-biological and the people of the country are biological offer vision to the people of Gujarat when he cannot understand the pain of labourers and those who work in diamond industry?" he asked.
"You could not have imagined that BJP will get defeated in Ayodhya or that Modi will win Varanasi by a small margin. They are going to be defeated here in Gujarat like they were in Ayodhya. All you have to do is to ask the people of Gujarat to not be scared," he said.
If the people of Gujarat fight without getting scared, the BJP will not be able to stand in front of them, he said.
"Modi wanted to contest from Ayodhya, but his surveyors advised him against this saying he will be defeated and his political career will end," he said, quoting the newly-elected MP from Faizabad Awadhesh Prasad.
"That is why, he (Modi) did not contest from Ayodhya but opted for Varanasi. In Varanasi, we made a few mistakes or else we should have defeated him there as well," he said.
Gandhi said that people of Ayodhya were angry with Modi because he did not pay them compensation for their land, shops and houses.
"The Ayodhya MP told me that farmers whose land was taken for the international airport at Ayodhya have not received right compensation till date. People there felt angry when they found not a single person from Ayodhya was present in Ram Mandir inauguration," he said.
While Adani and Ambani were seen at the Ram temple consecration ceremony, no poor person was invited there, he said.
Gandhi said Congress's 'hand' symbol is found in every religion.
"Look at the photos of Guru Nanak, Mahavir, Buddha. Even in Islam they use it as a gesture to seek blessings. Look at the photo of Lord Shiva and you will find it there. It means 'Daro mat, darao mat' (Don't be scared, don't scare anyone)," Gandhi said.
In Congress, unlike BJP, party workers are not scared of expressing their opinion before their leaders and even question his decisions and tell him on his face what he did was not liked by them, he said.
"Neither our workers are afraid of speaking their heart out, nor are we scared of listening to them. In BJP, the entire leadership team does not like Narendra Modi. But they lack courage...are scared. If a leader like Modi was in Congress, the entire party would have stood against him. But their workers lack courage," he said.
On the shortcomings in the Congress, he said, "A party worker put it very well, saying that there are two kinds of horses - one for races and another to be used during weddings. Sometimes the Congress deploys horses meant for race in weddings, and vice versa. He asked me to stop this...We have to do this in Gujarat." He said the party did not contest the 2022 assembly election in Gujarat properly, and in 2017 only three months of campaigning took Congress near the finish line.
"In three years, we will leave the finish line far behind. If 50 per cent of party workers who believe (that we can defeat BJP after 30 years) change the mind of the other 50 per cent who do not believe, then we will form a government here..." he said.