‘Hain Tayyar Hum’ rally in Nagpur: Beyond polls, it’s a battle of two ideologies, we will win, says Rahul Gandhi

Speaking at the ‘Hain Tayyar Hum (We are ready)’ rally in Nagpur to mark the party’s 139th foundation day, Rahul termed the BJP government as one of ‘ghulami’ (slavery). He said that it was the Congress party which gave people voice and dignity through the Constitution and gave them the power to vote.

“The foundation of the battle for political power is ideology and the Congress’s objective is to hand over power to the common man,” he said.

Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Nagpur has two ideologies, one of Dr B R Ambedkar, which is progressive, and the other of the RSS, which is ‘destroying the nation’.”

The party chose Nagpur to sound the bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While the party leaders claimed that there was a crowd of several lakh, top police officials in Nagpur confirmed that the rally was attended by around 60,000 people from across the state.

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress, which is on the backfoot after losing three Assembly elections in the Hindi heartland, has been making concerted attempts to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP through the INDIA alliance and the Nagpur rally, for the party, is a big step forward in that direction.

“It is a battle of two different ideologies. While some mistake the battle as a power tussle or political tussle… that is also there but more significant is the ideology…,” Rahul said.

Expressing his confidence in the INDIA alliance, he said, “Together, we will fight with our heart and soul. Hindustan mein hum chunav jitenge.”

Sharpening the attack against Modi, who is going to be the BJP’s mascot for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul said, “A former Congress MP who is now in the BJP told me ‘BJP mein gulami chalti hai…’ This leader went on to explain how all decisions in the BJP come from the top. Whether one likes it or not, one has to obey and enforce them,” he said.

In comparison, Rahul said, “In the Congress the voice comes from the grassroots. Party workers can walk up to me and say that they don’t endorse what I did or said. I give them full audience and they can speak freely. At times I tell them I may not agree with their views,” he said.

Equating the Modi-led BJP to an era when there was rule of kings, Rahul said, “Before Independence there were 500 to 600 kings… British rule. It was the Congress which gave people voice and dignity through the Constitution… the right to vote.”