Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi gave a clarion call for unity at a recent INDIA Bloc meeting, graciously accepting his and the Congress’s criticism from allies and urging them to use resistance as a strategy to defeat the BJP.
“The Congress Party’s role, as many of you have stated, is to unite all of you together with love and affection,” said Gandhi at the meeting held on June 8 in Delhi, in the backdrop of the recent Assembly election defeats suffered by two key constituents of the bloc - Trinamool Congress and DMK.
Criticising the alleged throttling of institutions and absence of a “fair field” to operate, Gandhi said, “The BJP controls the institutions of the state. The BJP controls the legal system. The BJP controls the bureaucracy. The BJP controls the intelligence agencies.
The BJP even controls the Election Commission.” He even made insinuations about alleged electoral wrongdoings in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “Please understand: We won the last election in 2024. We did not lose the 2024 election,” he said.
“The problem is the capture of the instruments of the Indian state by the RSS. The problem is that you will not have a free and fair election to win,” said Gandhi. Describing the Congress as a party emerging out of resistance, the Rae Bareli MP said that the more the institutions of the “Indian state are throttled, the more aggressively the Congress Party will fight to defend the Constitution”.
Accusing the government of destroying democracy, Gandhi offered the Opposition parties a ray of hope amid the grave fallout of the Gulf developments. “What is coming now, after what has happened in Iran, is uncontrollable. It is uncontrollable, and it is going to create a space for us to mobilise the masses,” he said.
Gandhi even tried to pull the Alliance partners out of the depression caused by repeated electoral defeats at the hands of the BJP. “I find that in our discussions, there is often a tinge of depression. People think: Oh my God, how will we ever beat the BJP? Let me tell you, it is easy to beat them if we stand together and resist,” he said.
“Please understand: there is so much anger among the people of India that the next election is already over,” he said. Looking to lift the morale, Gandhi said, “Now everybody in this room must start believing that we will defeat them. You start with that belief, and I guarantee you state after state, election after election, whether they cheat or don't cheat, they will fall.”
While giving examples of his strategy of resistance, Gandhi cited the example of Congress’s recent stand on key issues. “We have to go into the mode of resistance. Resistance is CBSE. Resistance is NEET. Resistance is going to Great Nicobar. Resistance is the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
You get up in the morning, and you say: How can I resist? And you resist. That will work. I guarantee you it will work,” said the Leader of the Opposition. The INDIA bloc meeting held at the Constitution Club also focused on recalibrating strategy following recent political setbacks, addressing internal grievances, and establishing a five-point plan to challenge the BJP.