Senior leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Congress should be the “backbone” of any opposition alliance to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections as without it no alliance can be “meaningful” or “relevant”.
The Congress General Secretary also said that in his view, the Congress should prepare to fight on its own in every state in the 2029 general elections.
In an interview with PTI, Ramesh said he would definitely throw his weight behind making another yatra from Porbandar in Gujarat to Parshuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh this year, but the party would have to take a final call on it.
“I am definitely considering it. Now, whether the party will do or not (make such a trip), I cannot say. But ideally, when the Bharat Jodi Yatra was thought of in Udaipur, people from the West There was also an idea to go east,” said Ramesh, who along with Digvijaya Singh, is believed to be the brain behind ‘Connect India’ from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Yatra’, which will conclude on January 30 in Srinagar.
Asked whether the Congress would form the basis of the opposition alliance, especially after its massive cross-country march, Ramesh said, “I certainly think so. It is logical because we (BJP’s) are still Apart from) being the only national political party, you will find Congress workers, Congress families,” he said.
Ramesh claimed that the BJP may be in power but the Congress is the only national political force in terms of presence.
“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 that of the Centre. It is a centre-left party. Each party turns to the Congress approach, the middle way, the path of consensus and reconciliation.
“So yes, we are the base. If we are going to take on the BJP, it is only an alliance around the Congress (that can do it).”
Addressing a press conference at the State Congress Committee (PCC) office in Srinagar, Ramesh said that after the yatra, opposition parties will start the process of dialogue and political dialogue, but the cross-country march has nothing to do with it. .
He said, “Any opposition platform to defeat the BJP must be based on two realities – Congress must be the pivot or base of any opposition alliance, without the Congress no opposition alliance is relevant or meaningful.”
“Any opposition alliance should be based on a constructive agenda and not just a negative agenda of anti-BJP or anti-government-ism. This is not the business of Bharat Jodo Yatra, which has nothing to do with elections,” Ramesh said.
He insisted that any attempt to build a meaningful, winning coalition against the BJP must center around the Congress.
Asked about some opposition leaders expressing their inability to attend the January 30 event, he said it was not a setback.
In an interview with PTI, Ramesh said that he would ideally like the Congress to take on the BJP alone but that may not be realistic in 2024.
“I am of the view that, for 2029, we should prepare to fight in each state on our own. But I am realistic that this position may not find support within my own political party,” he said.
However, he also 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.
“Prolonged stay in power has been detrimental to organizational vitality. With the Bharat Jodo Yatra, this (organisational vitality) has got a boost and momentum, but it has to be sustained,” Ramesh said.
“We cannot go back to conflicts within the organisation, conflicts between different groups, between leaders. One would hope that after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, we have found a higher purpose,” he asserted.
Ramesh 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.
“I have been saying that this is not an event, this is a movement. So, if we want it to be seen as a movement, we must see it as a movement.”
Asked about personal ambitions affecting the party’s prospects in various states and how the Congress would resolve the Ashok Gehlot-Sachin Pilot row in Rajasthan, Ramesh said, “These personal ambitions and personal goals have been anathema to the Congress.” Huh. What the Bharat Jodo Yatra has done is that it has created a sense of collective purpose and togetherness, and this is needed in state after state, including Rajasthan. Ramesh said that what is good for the organization will be good for the people 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”, Ramesh 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 is time to carry forward the momentum. depends 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 Gandhi’s image change, Ramesh said that it was not the reason for the yatra, but it was the result of the yatra.
The change in Gandhi’s image among people has been a big bonus, Ramesh said.
“I think the BJP is defaming Rahul Gandhi It is not going to stop because their only game is slander and slander. But the credibility of what they’re doing is much lower than it used to be. There will be some takes on ‘Pappufication,’ as you call it.”
Ramesh said that there has also been a change in the context of the narrative of the Congress.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)