BJP will be 'decimated' in the next three-four Assembly elections: Rahul Gandhi
The Hindu
Rahul Gandhi has said in Washington, U.S.A. that the BJP will be “decimated” in the next three-four Assembly elections by the Congress
Rahul Gandhi has said that the BJP will be "decimated" in the next three-four Assembly elections by the Congress, emphasising that they have the basic requirements that are needed to defeat the ruling party which do not have the support of the vast majority of the Indian population.
These remarks were made by Mr. Gandhi, who is in the U.S. for a three-city U.S. tour, on Thursday at a reception hosted for him by eminent Indian American Frank Islam.
“There is a tendency of people to believe that this sort of juggernaut of the RSS and the BJP is unstoppable. This is not the case. I'll make a little prediction here. You will see that the next three or four elections that we fight directly with the BJP, it will be decimated,” Mr. Gandhi said in response to a question at the reception.
“I can give it to you right now, that they're gonna have a really tough time in these Assembly elections. We'll do to them the very similar stuff that we've done in Karnataka. But if you ask the Indian media that's not going to happen,” he said.
The Congress secured a comfortable majority and ousted the BJP from power in Karnataka in the May 10 assembly elections.
The visiting leader told the invited group of Indian Americans, members of the think-tank community and lawmakers that the Indian press is currently giving a highly favourable version of the BJP.
“Please realise that 60% of India does not vote for the BJP, does not vote for Narendra Modi. That's something you have to remember. The BJP has the instruments of noise in their hand, so they can shout, they can scream, they can distort, they can yell, and they are much better at doing that. But they do not have the vast majority of the Indian population (supporting them),” he said.
More than 2.6 lakh village and ward volunteers in Andhra Pradesh, once celebrated as the government’s grassroots champions for their crucial role in implementing welfare schemes, are now in a dilemma after learning that their tenure has not been renewed after August 2023 even though they have been paid honoraria till June 2024. Disowned by both YSRCP, which was in power when they were appointed, and the current ruling TDP, which made a poll promise to double their pay, these former volunteers are ruing the day they signed up for the role which they don’t know if even still exists