Need to filter out those Congress leaders who work for BJP, says Rahul Gandhi
Ahmedabad, Mar 8 (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said there was a need to filter out leaders and workers from his party who were working for the BJP and warned of strict action, even removals.
Addressing party workers on the second day of his two-day Gujarat visit, the party's first job was to separate two groups of Congress workers and leaders — ones who carry the party ideology in their hearts and stand with the public and the others who were cut off from the public, "half of whom are with the BJP".
Gandhi's visit to the state is focused on the 2027 assembly polls, for which he has hinted at a major overhaul in the party's state unit and assured a strong plan to defeat the BJP.
"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," he said.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the party's first job should be to filter these two groups, even if it means taking strict action of removing people.
Till the two groups are separated, the people of Gujarat will not believe in the party, he said.
Gandhi said, "For our district, block presidents and senior leaders, the party should find a place in their hearts. They should carry Congress in their blood. Put the issue of winning and losing the elections aside. As soon as we do that, the people of Gujarat would like to join our organisation, and we will open the door for them."
He claimed that the people of the state are trapped, and the diamond, textile and ceramic industry is in shambles.
"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," he said.
He said Gujarat wants to move forward but is unable to see the way ahead, and the Congress is unable to show it the way.
"I am not speaking out of shame or fear, but I want to put this before you — we are unable to show Gujarat the way," Gandhi said.
He pointed out that Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for over three decades, and whenever he visits the state, the discussions revolve around elections.
"But the question is not about elections. 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.
Gandhi said Congress has not been able to fulfil expectations Gujarat had from its leaders for the last 30 years.
Gujarat gave the Congress its original leadership, way of thinking, fighting and living in Mahatma Gandhi, he said.
"Without Gandhi, Congress would not have been able to get independence for the country," he said, adding that Sardar Patel, one of the five greatest leaders of the Congress, also hailed from Gujarat.
He said there is no shortage of leaders in Congress at the district, block, and senior levels, but "they are chained".
"Our leaders, including me, will have to go amidst the people of Gujarat, listen to their voices, what they expect from me, what we can do for them — for their education, health, and future. We are here to listen to you," Gandhi said.
He said the party could come to power in the state if it manages to increase its vote share by 5 per cent, citing the example of Telangana, where it managed a 22 per cent increase in the vote share.
Gandhi, on the first day of his visit on Friday, had held meetings with party leaders and district and block-level presidents.
The upcoming All India Congress Committee (AICC) session is scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad on April 8-9. It will be held in the state after 64 years.
In the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, the 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.
कांग्रेस पार्टी को मूल नेतृत्व गुजरात ने दिया, जिसने हमें सोचने, लड़ने और जीने का तरीका सिखाया। गांधीजी के बिना कांग्रेस पार्टी देश को आज़ादी नहीं दिलवा पाती, और गुजरात के बिना गांधी जी नहीं होते। उनके एक कदम पीछे, गुजरात ने हमें सरदार पटेल जी को दिया।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 8, 2025
आज वही गुजरात रास्ता ढूंढ… pic.twitter.com/mWcvo2eOUH
हमारा पहला काम- इन दो ग्रुप को अलग करना है।
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 8, 2025
अगर हमें सख्त कार्रवाई करनी पड़े, 30-40 लोगों को निकालना पड़े तो निकाल देना चाहिए।
BJP के लिए लोग अंदर से काम कर रहे हैं, तो उन लोगों को निकालो और बाहर से BJP के लिए काम करने दो।
फिर देखते हैं, कैसे इनकी वहां जगह बनती है, क्योंकि वो… pic.twitter.com/X8w97HO8R3
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
