Senior leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Congress will have to be the “backbone” of any opposition alliance to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections as it is the only political force with a pan-India presence.
The Congress general secretary also said that in his view, the Congress should prepare to fight the 2029 general elections on its own in every state.
in an interview with PTIMr Ramesh said he would certainly throw his weight behind undertaking another yatra this year from Porbandar in Gujarat to Parshuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh, but the party would have to take a final call on it.
“I am certainly considering it. Now whether the party will take such a trip or not, I cannot say. But ideally when India Jodo Yatra There was a thought in Udaipur, there was also a thought of going from west to east,” said Mr. Ramesh, who along with Digvijaya Singh is believed to be the brain behind the Kanyakumari to Kashmir India Jodo Yatra, which will end in Srinagar on January 30. ..
Asked whether the Congress would be the basis of an opposition coalition, especially after the massive cross country march, Mr. Ramesh said, “I certainly think so. It is logical because we are still the only national political There are parties (other than BJP).
“We may not be in power in one state after another, but if you see the presence in every village, mohalla, block, town, city, you will find Congress workers, Congress families,” he said.
The BJP may be in power, but the Congress is the only national political force in terms of presence, Mr Ramesh claimed.
“Measuring our influence by the number of states we rule or the percentage of votes we get is a very narrow approach. The ideology of the Congress is of the centre. It is a centre-left party. Every party revolves around the Congress From the perspective of the Middle Way, the path of consensus and reconciliation, ”he said.
He said, “So yes, we are the base.
Mr. Ramesh said that ideally he would like the Congress to take on the BJP alone but that may not be realistic in 2024.
“My view is that, for 2029, we should prepare to fight on our own in every state. But I am realistic that this position may not find support within my own political party,” he said.
However, he said that in some states the Congress has given too much space to its allies which is detrimental to organisation-building.
Rahul Gandhi’s main message has always been to build the organization first and power will come later, but the Congress has reversed that sequence, he said, adding that the former party chief’s approach is correct.
“Long stay in power has been detrimental to organizational vitality. With the Bharat Jodo Yatra, this (organisational vitality) has got a booster and momentum, but it has to be maintained,” said Mr. Ramesh.
“We cannot go back to conflict within the organization, conflict between different groups, between leaders. One would hope that after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, we have found a higher purpose,” he asserted.
He said that Bharat Jodo Yatra is a great cause in which a large number of Congress workers are involved and the enormity of this cause should be reflected in our behavior and approach, otherwise it will be just an episode.
He said, “I have been saying, this is not an incident, this is a movement. So if we want this to be seen as a movement, we should see this as a movement.”
Asked about personal ambition affecting the party’s prospects in various states and how the Congress would resolve Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot-Sachin Pilot row, Mr. Ramesh said, “This personal ambition and personal goal is anathema to the Congress.” have been What the Bharat Jodo Yatra has done is that it has created a sense of collective purpose and togetherness that is needed in state after state, including Rajasthan. The organization does not have to triumph over individual egos and ambitions because what is good for the organization will be good for the individuals of the party but what may be good for an individual may not necessarily be good for the party.
Referring to the Congress organization as a “sleeping demon”, he said the Yatra has certainly given it new hope, but it is not enough as it has just opened up an opportunity and now it needs to carry forward the momentum. Depending on the organization at different levels. which has arisen.
“It (the yatra) has been a big booster dose for the organization and people are talking about the Congress differently than they were five months back,” he said.
Talking about the image change of Rahul Gandhi, he said that it was not the reason for the yatra, but it was the result of the yatra.
Mr. Gandhi’s image transformation among people has been a big bonus of the yatra, he said.
“I think the BJP defaming Rahul Gandhi will not stop as their only game is slander and slander. But the credibility of what they are doing is much less than before. There will be only a few fractions of ‘Pappufication’.” As you call it,” he insisted.
He also said that there has been a change in the context of the narrative of the Congress.
“There has been a tremendous rejuvenation and revitalization of the party organization in the Congress and certainly this badly needed revamp in the way Shri Rahul Gandhi is perceived by the public. So these are huge gains made by the Congress Party Huh.” in the last 140 days or so,” he said.
The Congress and Gandhi have demonstrated endurance, perseverance and resilience, while at the same time being successful in conveying the messages of the Yatra – “the threat our republic faces due to economic inequalities, social polarization and political dictatorship”, Mr Ramesh said .
There is no doubt that after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, it is a completely different Congress than the pre-Yatra Congress, he said.