<p>Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at Congress deserters, saying those in the party who are scared of RSS should leave the party and "enjoy" their company while the party should induct people also from outside, many of whom have the courage to fight the Sangh.</p>.<p>Addressing over 3,000 social media workers of the party at an online event, Gandhi also cited the example of his one-time colleague in the party Jyotiraditya Scindia, who delivered Madhya Pradesh back to BJP after deserting Congress last year and is now Civil Aviation Minister in the Narendra Modi government.</p>.<p>Scindia's name cropped up while Gandhi was answering queries of some participants, who asked him how they could face alleged "intimidation tactics" of BJP while taking them on as many times FIRs are being slapped against them.</p>.<p>Responding, Gandhi did some pep talk, talked about the strength of the hand symbol of the party and told them most godly and saintly figures like Guru Nanak and others have their hands up in blessing mode, which gives a message that you should not be scared (Daro Mat). This is the message of Congress' hand, he said.</p>.<p>"Scindia ji dar gaye ki unka ghar chala jaayega, mahal chala jaayega. Hence he went to RSS-BJP (Scindia ji got scared that he will lose his house, his palace. Hence he went to RSS," Gandhi said, according to sources.</p>.<p>The meeting started with the introduction of AICC Social Media in charge Rohan Gupta. AICC general secretary in charge K C Venugopal also addressed the participants.</p>.<p><strong>Read more:<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/punjab-congress-crisis-countdown-to-decision-begins-1009330.html" target="_blank"> Punjab Congress crisis: Countdown to decision begins</a></strong></p>.<p>"There are many people who are not scared, but are outside the Congress. All these people are ours. Bring them in, and those scared within our party should be shunted out. They are RSS people and they should go, let them enjoy. We do not want them, they are not needed. We want fearless people. This is our ideology. This is my basic message to you," Gandhi said.</p>.<p>National co-coordinator of AICC social media Nitin Agarwal told <em>DH</em> that Gandhi asked members of the party's social media team not to be afraid of talking to him as they were a part of his family. He also sought to paint a picture of contrast between RSS and Congress saying while the former believes in empowering only a few, his party wants to empower all.</p>.<p>Since the Modi government came to power in 2014 or a little before that, a large number of BJP leaders--some former Chief Ministers and former Union ministers left the party and joined BJP. Some of them like Himanta Biswa Sarma (current Assam Chief Minister from BJP) had hit out at Rahul, questioning his style of functioning. Many of them ended with plum posts in BJP but not all.</p>.<p>Prominent leaders, who deserted Congress in this period include Birender Singh and Rao Inderjit Singh (both joined BJP) from Haryana, Narayan Rane and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil from Maharashtra, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Sanjay Singh and Jagdambika Pal (from UP), Vijay Bahuguna, Yashpal Arya, Satpal Maharaj (Uttarakhand), N Biren Singh (now Manipur CM from BJP), Khushboo Sundar (Tamil Nadu), Tom Vadakkan (Kerala). The list is endless. The latest to join BJP was Jitin Prasada.</p>.<p>During his interaction, Rahul tried to strike a personal rapport with participants. He started the conversation with a woman participant from Chhattisgarh, who talked of her paternal aunt's demise due to Covid. When a youth from Maharashtra told about his father's death due to cardiac arrest three years back, Rahul said he can feel his pain as he himself had lost his father at an early age.</p>.<p>When another participant asked him how they should react to evolving issues, Rahul told him to think beyond his personal view and think how Congress should react to it.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at Congress deserters, saying those in the party who are scared of RSS should leave the party and "enjoy" their company while the party should induct people also from outside, many of whom have the courage to fight the Sangh.</p>.<p>Addressing over 3,000 social media workers of the party at an online event, Gandhi also cited the example of his one-time colleague in the party Jyotiraditya Scindia, who delivered Madhya Pradesh back to BJP after deserting Congress last year and is now Civil Aviation Minister in the Narendra Modi government.</p>.<p>Scindia's name cropped up while Gandhi was answering queries of some participants, who asked him how they could face alleged "intimidation tactics" of BJP while taking them on as many times FIRs are being slapped against them.</p>.<p>Responding, Gandhi did some pep talk, talked about the strength of the hand symbol of the party and told them most godly and saintly figures like Guru Nanak and others have their hands up in blessing mode, which gives a message that you should not be scared (Daro Mat). This is the message of Congress' hand, he said.</p>.<p>"Scindia ji dar gaye ki unka ghar chala jaayega, mahal chala jaayega. Hence he went to RSS-BJP (Scindia ji got scared that he will lose his house, his palace. Hence he went to RSS," Gandhi said, according to sources.</p>.<p>The meeting started with the introduction of AICC Social Media in charge Rohan Gupta. AICC general secretary in charge K C Venugopal also addressed the participants.</p>.<p><strong>Read more:<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/punjab-congress-crisis-countdown-to-decision-begins-1009330.html" target="_blank"> Punjab Congress crisis: Countdown to decision begins</a></strong></p>.<p>"There are many people who are not scared, but are outside the Congress. All these people are ours. Bring them in, and those scared within our party should be shunted out. They are RSS people and they should go, let them enjoy. We do not want them, they are not needed. We want fearless people. This is our ideology. This is my basic message to you," Gandhi said.</p>.<p>National co-coordinator of AICC social media Nitin Agarwal told <em>DH</em> that Gandhi asked members of the party's social media team not to be afraid of talking to him as they were a part of his family. He also sought to paint a picture of contrast between RSS and Congress saying while the former believes in empowering only a few, his party wants to empower all.</p>.<p>Since the Modi government came to power in 2014 or a little before that, a large number of BJP leaders--some former Chief Ministers and former Union ministers left the party and joined BJP. Some of them like Himanta Biswa Sarma (current Assam Chief Minister from BJP) had hit out at Rahul, questioning his style of functioning. Many of them ended with plum posts in BJP but not all.</p>.<p>Prominent leaders, who deserted Congress in this period include Birender Singh and Rao Inderjit Singh (both joined BJP) from Haryana, Narayan Rane and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil from Maharashtra, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Sanjay Singh and Jagdambika Pal (from UP), Vijay Bahuguna, Yashpal Arya, Satpal Maharaj (Uttarakhand), N Biren Singh (now Manipur CM from BJP), Khushboo Sundar (Tamil Nadu), Tom Vadakkan (Kerala). The list is endless. The latest to join BJP was Jitin Prasada.</p>.<p>During his interaction, Rahul tried to strike a personal rapport with participants. He started the conversation with a woman participant from Chhattisgarh, who talked of her paternal aunt's demise due to Covid. When a youth from Maharashtra told about his father's death due to cardiac arrest three years back, Rahul said he can feel his pain as he himself had lost his father at an early age.</p>.<p>When another participant asked him how they should react to evolving issues, Rahul told him to think beyond his personal view and think how Congress should react to it.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
