All-India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that there were 1,000 people raising their hands for him while a mere 15 Shiv Sena workers were standing with black flags in front of a railway station during his visit to Mumbai on Friday.
Mr. Gandhi, who made a surprise visit to the venue of the three-day workshop for elected office-bearers of the State committee of the Kerala Students Union at Edathala near Aluva here, made this remark in response to a question by an activist whether violence should be countered with violence.
Taking a dig at the Shiv Sena for its protest, Mr. Gandhi said: “When somebody acts violently, they act out of fear. If you get more organised, there will be no violence against you.” The nation belongs to “all of us,” he said.
Violence by “those opposing you should not be defeated physically but by strengthening the organisation,” he said.
He urged the Kerala Students Union activists to “get closer to the people, especially the student community.” He called upon the youth to fight for the causes of the common man by understanding their problems. The youth organisations of the party needed better people to strengthen its base, he said, appealing to the youth to stand united for the welfare of the nation. The students union should have more presence at the grassroots.
Mr. Gandhi’s visit took the party leaders and the authorities by surprise. Even the State leadership was unaware of his itinerary.
