Rahul says huge undercurrent against BJP, asks opposition to unite

• ‘If the opposition stands effectively with a vision, what I am hearing from the ground, it will become very difficult for BJP to win’
• The role of the Congress is also to make sure that opposition parties feel comfortable and respected
• If you see Samajwadi Party, they don’t have a national framework. They have a positioning in UP which they have to defend

Underlining the huge undercurrent against the BJP in the country, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked opposition parties to unite against the divisive and anti-democratic government led by Narendra Modi.

“If the opposition stands effectively with a vision, what I am hearing from the ground, it will become very difficult for BJP to win the elections. But the opposition has to coordinate properly and the opposition has to go to the people with an alternative vision,” Rahul Gandhi said.

He said Bharat Jodo Yatra is open for all in the backdrop of Uttar Pradesh political leaders ‘reluctance’ to join the march. He, however, said there is a connection with Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati in the journey against hatred. “Hatred and love are diametrically opposite…But many people want to spread love,” he said.

“If you see Samajwadi Party, they don’t have a national framework. They have a positioning in UP which they have to defend and for that, he may not come to the yatra. But the ideals of Samajwadi Party will not work in Kerala, Karnataka and Bihar. Our work is to provide a national framework to the opposition,” Rahul Gandhi said adding that the role of the Congress is also to make sure that opposition parties feel comfortable and respected. “It should be mutual respect. They should respect us and we too,” Rahul Gandhi said.  He claimed that his march to unite India has provided a framework to present a new way of working and thinking to the people.

“Everyone knows that BJP and Congress are not the same. Because had it been the case, then Narendra Modi would not have wanted a Congress-mukt Bharat. Is he then asking for a BJP-mukt Bharat. But Akhilesh ji has the option to say what his perspective is,” he said.

Gandhi also sought mutual respect between opposition leaders and the Congress in taking on the BJP, which has been completely dominating the country’s political space, reported PTI. “If the opposition stands effectively with a vision, it will become very difficult for the BJP to win elections. But the opposition has to coordinate effectively and the opposition has to go to the people with an alternative vision,” Gandhi said.

He said India should emerge as a “production nation” instead of a “rent-seeking’ nation, according to PTI.  According to the news agency, he also spoke about a clear foreign policy, unlike a “confused” policy pursued by the government, and greater economic equality. Gandhi said he was in favour of large businesses as they had a central role in the economy, but the same should not be controlled by “two-three persons”.

-INDIA NEWS STREAM