Rahul Gandhi Warns of Sacking 30-40 Congressmen in Gujarat “Secretly” Working for BJP
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 8: The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday castigated some leaders of his own party in Gujarat for secretly working for the BJP and quickly earned the “applaud” from the ruling party to be its “biggest asset.”
Addressing a meeting of the party workers in Ahmedabad, Mr Gandhi, who was on a two-day visit to Gujarat to revamp the party, said it had come to the party’s knowledge that some 30-40 leaders of the Congress were trying to sabotage the party from inside by secretly working for the BJP and warned that the Congress would not hesitate to remove such leaders from the party if the need arises in order to clean the party.
The BJP, in response, said Mr Gandhi has “trolled” his own party in Gujarat, which makes him the “biggest asset” for the BJP. Gujarat is one of the few states in the country where the Congress is nearly wiped out having been out of power continuously for more than three decades and have also been eliminated from most of the local self-government bodies, most of the panchayats and having zero representation in the Lok Sabha in the last two Parliamentary elections.
Rahul Gandhi made the remarks during the second day of his Gujarat visit, where he said there was a need to filter out leaders and workers from his party’s Gujarat unit who were secretly working for the BJP, warning of strict action going as far as removals.
Gandhi’s visit focuses on the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections, and he warned that he could sack up to 40 leaders if needed to clean the party. “There are two types of people in the Gujarat Congress leadership and among workers. Those who are honest with people, fight for them, respect them and have the ideology of the Congress in their heart. And the others who are cut off from the people sit far away, do not respect them, and half of whom are with the BJP,” Mr Gandhi said.
Mr Gandhi pointed out internal challenges within the party’s Gujarat unit due to two types of leaders – those who are genuinely connected to the people, and those who remain distant. Gandhi asserted that unless these two groups were separated, the people of Gujarat would not repose their faith in the Congress. He said the party should “find a place in their hearts” by setting winning and losing elections aside.
“If we have to connect with the people of Gujarat, we need to do two things. The first task is to separate these two groups. Even if we have to remove 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 people, we are ready to do that to set an example,” Mr Gandhi told party workers.
“Those in the Congress who are secretly working for the BJP should come out, work openly for the BJP. Let’s see them. The BJP won’t have space for you. They will throw you outside,” he said. He acknowledged challenges faced by the party in Gujarat, where it has been out of power for nearly 30 years, and stressed that merely focusing on elections would not be enough to regain public trust. “Until we fulfil our responsibilities, the people of Gujarat will not elect us. We must first earn their trust,” he said.
Congress veteran Ahmed Patel’s daughter Mumtaz Patel said Mr Gandhi’s speech gives her “courage to speak openly.” “I have not got any post in the party… I had no role, that’s why I am in Delhi… There are many people in the party who stopped workers like me because of their personal interests, due to which the party weakened,” she said. “I hope Rahul ji has understood the ground reality. That’s why I am saying with courage that we want to work for the party, but don’t get a chance.”
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a swipe at Mr Gandhi, calling him the “BJP’s biggest asset.” “He has trolled himself and his party. He tried to show the mirror to himself. Such an honest reaction… Rahul Gandhi admits he is unable to win in Gujarat, unable to show the way… Rahul Gandhi says some Congress workers are like racehorses who have been made to dance at weddings, and some are like wedding horses made to race at competitions. Are your party workers animals?” Mr Poonawalla said. “At least please call your party workers humans. You are calling them horses,” he said.
During his speech, Mr Gandhi also criticised the BJP government in the state over the small and medium businesses, farmers, and industries that he said needed a new vision. “The current model of governance has failed. The people of Gujarat are calling for change, and Congress can provide that vision,” he said.
He said the people in the state felt “trapped” and key industries were in ruins. “Look at farmers of Gujarat. They are screaming for a new vision. The vision of the last 20-25 years has failed, and Congress can provide this vision easily. But this is not possible unless these two types of people are filtered,” the LoP said, acknowledging that Congress has not been in power for over 30 years and the party has not been able to fulfill expectations of the people
“Unless we fulfil our responsibilities, the people of Gujarat will not let us win the elections. And we should not ask the people to give us the government till we fulfil our responsibilities. The day we have fulfilled our responsibilities, I can guarantee that all the people of Gujarat will support us,” he said.
He said all party leaders of Congress will have to work hard by going amidst the people and listening to their opinions and expectations, adding that the party can make a comeback in the state even if the vote share increases by 5%.
In the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, Congress won only 17 of the 182 seats in the state. However, the party’s strength in the House dropped to 12 after the resignation of five MLAs. The BJP has governed the state since 1995.
