Congress will win Gujarat polls; AAP only in air, not on ground: Rahul

Rahul Gandhi on Monday refused to give much credence to AAP's perceived surge in Gujarat reportedly at the expense of Congress, saying his party will win the state elections riding on a "massive" anti-incumbency against the ruling BJP.

He also made it clear that Congress will have no truck with the "corrupt" K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS in Telangana even though he insisted that the Opposition parties should "harmoniously" work together to defeat the RSS-BJP.

The top Congress leader made these remarks at a press conference in Telangana's Kothur on the sidelines of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

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On Gujarat elections, he said the AAP is only in the air and it has nothing on the ground but created a buzz on the basis of advertisements in media.

"Congress is contesting the Gujarat elections very effectively...There is a massive anti-incumbency against the BJP government in Gujarat. AAP is only in the air. It has nothing on the ground. The media has created a buzz based on the advertisements given by AAP. Congress party is a solid party in Gujarat. The Congress is going to win the election," he said.

Rahul was responding to a question on the remarks by AAP and BJP that Rahul was not visiting Gujarat because the Congress has given up the fight because it knows that it will not win.

Asked about his campaign plans in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, he said he does not want to disturb the Bharat Jodo Yatra. However, he said, party president Mallikarjun Kharge would decide how he would be utilised in both the poll-bound states.

On TRS, he said there was "absolutely no question" of having any relationship with the TRS and the party has made it clear already. This confusion is being created by the TRS.

Asked about Rao's national ambitions and changing the name of the party from TRS to Bharatiya Rashtra Samiti, he said any leader has the right to imagine in whatever way he wants.

"If the Chief Minister of Telangana believes that he is running a national party, that is perfectly okay. If he believes he is running a global party, that is also okay....He is welcome to think that he is running an international party that is fighting elections in the United States, China and other countries," he said adding, the party's Telangana unit wanted this and the Congress leadership has accepted it.

Asked how he reconciles with the fact that Congress ally Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is positive to Rao's attempt for a united front, Rahul said that it is the JD(U)'s leader's concern and desire and not his.

"We cannot stand the corruption, approach and attitude of the TRS. TRS is looting the people of Telangana. It is snatching the land of Dalits and tribals, it is destroying the education sector by privatising it. We are diametrically opposite to what they are doing," he said.

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Asked about a united Opposition, he said the fight in India today is between two ideologies. "One ideology that is seeking to divide the nation, spread violence in the nation and the other ideology that is bringing the nation together and the line is very, very clear. I feel, and the Congress party feels, that it is very important that the Opposition works together harmoniously to defeat the ideology of the RSS and the BJP," he said.

To another query on who was responsible for the Morbi Cable Bridge tragedy in Gujarat, She said he did not want to politicise this incident. "People have died here. It is disrespectful for them to politicise this incident, so I am not going to do it," he said.

On his visit to Charminar, he said Rajiv Gandhi had started his Sadbhavan Yatra from Charminar and that was the logic the party is following.