Rahul Gandhi Vows to Defeat BJP in Gujarat Assembly Elections

Rahul Gandhi asserts Congress and allies in INDIA bloc will defeat BJP in upcoming Gujarat polls, referencing their recent win in Ayodhya. He criticizes BJP's ethos and the exclusion of Ayodhya locals from the Ram Temple inauguration. Bajrang Dal protests his remarks on Hinduism.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has announced that the Congress party and its allies in the INDIA bloc are determined to defeat the BJP in the Gujarat assembly elections, mirroring their triumph in Ayodhya during the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing party workers in Ahmedabad, Gandhi cited the BJP's loss in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, which encompasses Ayodhya, and claimed that the INDIA alliance had vanquished the movement initiated by former BJP chief LK Advani.

In 1990, Advani had led the rath yatra to garner support for the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. The BJP stated that the yatra also aimed to challenge the prevailing discourse on 'secularism' and 'communalism' and to reject the 'cult of minorityism.' The BJP recently lost the Faizabad constituency in the Lok Sabha elections.

'Together we are going to defeat them in Gujarat. We will defeat Narendra Modi and BJP in Gujarat just like we defeated them in Ayodhya,' stated Rahul Gandhi. He referred to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in January, criticizing the absence of poor individuals at the event. Gandhi also commented on how farmers lost their land for the construction of an airport, and how Ayodhya residents were not invited to the temple's inauguration. According to him, the INDIA alliance has successfully countered the movement initiated by Advani.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi arrived in Ahmedabad to meet party workers and victims of the Rajkot Gaming Zone tragedy. His remarks on Hinduism during his speech in the Lok Sabha sparked protests from Bajrang Dal members, who were subsequently detained by the Gujarat Police.

The Gujarat assembly elections are scheduled to take place in 2027. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)