Opposition unity will be meaningful only if the Congress becomes strong and the elephant has now woken up, Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh said on Monday.
Mr. Ramesh said a strong Congress is an important pillar of Opposition unity and its allies should understand that the party will not allow itself to be weakened.
Though he didn’t name anyone, his comment comes a day after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav told The Hindu that the Congress should allow regional parties to be in the “driving seat”.
Addressing a press conference on Bharat Jodo Yatra at the All India Congress Committee headquarters, Mr. Ramesh told reporters that the yatra has infused energy and enthusiasm among its workers and will strengthen the party.
“I am happy that after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, everybody has seen that the elephant has awakened, the elephant is moving forward, and all parties are seeing what the Congress is doing,” Mr. Ramesh said.
“Opposition unity does not mean weakening the Congress. Our allies should also understand that we will not allow ourselves to be weakened further. We will strengthen ourselves. A strong Congress is an important pillar of Opposition unity,” he added.
The statement comes in the backdrop of several regional players trying to occupy the pole position in the Opposition space in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
While Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has named Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar; her Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren; and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav as potential allies of the TMC, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday pitched NCP supremo Sharad Pawar as as someone who could facilitate Opposition unity.
Noting that the Bharat Jodo Yatra has led allies of both the BJP and the Congress to issue statements, Mr. Ramesh asserted that the yatra seeks to strengthen the Congress first.
“If it results in Opposition unity, it is good and we welcome it. But our priority is to strengthen the party organisation, to make it more effective,” he said, adding that in five days of the ‘Kanyakumari to Kashmir’ yatra, a total of 102 km would be completed by Monday evening.
Responding to digs by BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, directed at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for wearing imported T-shirts, Mr. Ramesh said he would not want to comment on “T-shirts, underwear and vests”.
“Their [the BJP’s] factory of lies is working overtime, especially on social media,” Mr. Ramesh said in response to Union Minister Smriti Irani’s comments that Mr. Gandhi should have visited Swami Vivekananda’s Memorial before starting the yatra. “We have shown where Rahul-ji was on September 7 at 3 p.m. If she can’t see, I am willing to give her a pair of spectacles,” he added.
Asked about the Congress tweeting a picture of a pair of khaki shorts on fire to target the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the BJP’s charge that the Congress wanted spread hate and violence, the Congress’ communication head said that those who stoked the fires of hatred, bigotry and prejudice must be prepared to take a few things back in the same coin.
“The trouble is the RSS-BJP is not used to aggressive responses from the Congress. When the Congress gives an aggressive response, they retreat. If they will be aggressive, we will be doubly aggressive. They should understand that,” Mr. Ramesh said.
Subsequently, in a series of tweets, the Congress leader said that those who had opposed the Quit India (Bharat Chhodo)movement are now rattled by the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
