Daijiworld Media Network - Modasa

Modasa, Apr 16: In a spirited address aimed at reviving the Congress party’s fortunes in Gujarat, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday declared that the path to defeating the BJP and RSS at the national level runs through Gujarat. He was speaking at the District Workers’ Convention in Modasa, where he unveiled structural reforms and rallied party cadres for a fresh political push in the BJP stronghold.

Acknowledging that Congress workers in Gujarat had felt demoralised over the years, Gandhi exuded confidence in their ability to turn the tide. “It looks tough, but I have come to assure you that it’s not difficult. In fact, it’s very easy for you, and you will see that we will accomplish the task in Gujarat,” he said.

Describing Gujarat as the most important state for the Congress party, Gandhi emphasised the ideological battle at hand. “If we want to defeat RSS-BJP in the country, then the path is through Gujarat,” he asserted, reiterating that only Congress could take on the Sangh Parivar.

“We are not just fighting for power this is a fight of ideology, and we will fight and win it from Gujarat. Only two forces in the country fight based on ideology: one is BJP-RSS, the other is the Congress. And the whole country knows only Congress can defeat them,” Gandhi said.

Attacking the BJP’s economic policies, Gandhi alleged that the government has handed over the nation's wealth to a few select billionaires while ignoring the plight of the youth and the unemployed. “Unemployment is rising, while two or three billionaires are being handed the country’s resources,” he claimed, accusing the BJP of crony capitalism.

Invoking the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, both of whom began their political journeys in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi reminded party workers of the state’s historic significance to the Congress. “You gave us our greatest leader, Mahatma Gandhi, and also Sardar Patel. Our party started in Gujarat itself. But we have been demoralised in the state for long... I have come to assure you nothing is impossible.”

In a bid to restructure and re-energize the Congress at the grassroots level, Gandhi launched a pilot project aimed at strengthening district units. He called for decentralising the party’s organisational structure to empower local leadership. “District-level work should be run from the districts, not from Ahmedabad. Districts must be strengthened, and district presidents should be given more powers,” he emphasised.

Positioning the initiative as the beginning of a broader national revival, Gandhi said Gujarat would be the launchpad for a renewed Congress movement rooted in ideology, decentralisation, and grassroots mobilisation.