No significant opposition coalition is feasible with out Congress in 2024: Jairam Ramesh

By PTI

AWANTIPORA (J-Ok): The Congress should be the “fulcrum” of any Opposition alliance to tackle the BJP within the 2024 common elections as no coalition will be “meaningful” or “relevant” with out it, senior chief Jairam Ramesh mentioned on Saturday.

The Congress common secretary additionally mentioned that in his view, the Congress ought to be getting ready to struggle by itself in each state within the 2029 common elections.

In an interview with PTI, Ramesh mentioned he will surely put his weight behind doing one other yatra from Gujarat’s Porbandar to Arunachal Pradesh’s Parshuram Kund this yr however the celebration has to take a name on it will definitely.

“I certainly have been giving a thought to it. Now, whether the party will or not (undertake such a yatra), I cannot say. But ideally, when the Bharat Jodo Yatra was thought of in Udaipur, there was also a thought of moving from west to east,” mentioned Ramesh, who together with Digvijaya Singh, is taken into account to be the mind behind the Kanyakumari to Kashmir ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is able to culminate on January 30 in Srinagar.

Asked if the Congress could be the fulcrum of an Opposition coalition, particularly after the large cross-country march it has undertaken, Ramesh mentioned, “I certainly believe so. It stands to reason as we are the only national political party even today (besides the BJP).”

“We may not be in power in state after state but if you look at the presence in every village, mohalla, block, town or city, you would find Congress workers, Congress families,” he mentioned.

The BJP could also be in energy however by way of sheer presence, the Congress is the one nationwide political power, Ramesh claimed.

“Just measuring our influence by the number of states we govern or the percentage of votes that we get is a very narrow perspective. The ideology of the Congress is at the Centre. It is a Centre-Left party. Every party veers around to the Congress point of view, to the middle path, the path of consensus and conciliation,” he mentioned.

“So yes, we are the fulcrum. If we are going to take on the BJP, it is only a coalition around the Congress (that can do so),” he added.

ALSO READ | Disinformation stalks Rahul Gandhi on Bharat Jodo Yatra

Addressing a press convention on the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) workplace in Srinagar, Ramesh mentioned after the Yatra, opposition events will start the method of talks and political negotiations, however the cross-country march had nothing to do with it.

“Any opposition platform to defeat the BJP must be based on two realities – Congress must be the pivot or the fulcrum of any Opposition alliance, without the Congress, no opposition alliance is relevant or meaningful,” he mentioned.

“Any Opposition alliance must be based on a constructive agenda, not just a negative agenda of anti-BJP-ism or anti-government-ism. This is not the business of the Bharat Jodo Yatra which has nothing to do with elections,” Ramesh mentioned.

Any try to construct a significant, profitable coalition in opposition to the BJP should be pivoted across the Congress, he asserted.

Asked about some Opposition leaders conveying their incapacity to attend the January 30 occasion, he mentioned it was not a setback.

In the interview with PTI, Ramesh mentioned he would ideally need the Congress to tackle the BJP alone however that might not be lifelike in 2024.

“My view is that, for 2029, we should be preparing to fight on our own in every state. But I am realistic that this position may not find favours within my own political party,” he mentioned.

He, nevertheless, added that in some states, the Congress has given an excessive amount of house to its allies which is detrimental to organisation constructing.

Rahul Gandhi’s key message has all the time been to construct the organisation first and energy will comply with, however the Congress has reversed that sequence, he mentioned, including that the previous celebration chief’s view is the appropriate one.

“Long years of being in power has been detrimental to the organisational vitality. With the Bharat Jodo Yatra, this (organisational vitality) has gotten a booster and momentum but that has to be sustained,” Ramesh mentioned.

“We cannot go back to having conflicts within the organisation between leaders, clashes among different groups. One would expect that after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, we have found a higher purpose,” he confused.

ALSO READ | Bharat Jodo Yatra helps Rahul Gandhi rebuild political picture

The Bharat Jodo Yatra is a good trigger involving a lot of Congress staff and the largeness of the trigger should mirror in our behaviour and method relating to a halt, in any other case, it will simply be one episode, Ramesh mentioned.

“I have been saying this is not an event, it is a movement. So, if we want it to be seen as a movement, we must treat it as a movement,” he added.

Asked about private ambitions affecting the celebration’s prospects in varied states and the way the Congress would remedy Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot-Sachin Pilot feud, Ramesh mentioned, “These personal ambition and personal goals have been a bane of the Congress. What the Bharat Jodo Yatra has done is that it has brought a sense of collective purpose and solidarity, and that is what is needed in state after state, including in Rajasthan.”

The organisation has to triumph, not particular person egos and ambitions, as what is nice for the organisation can be good for celebration people however what could also be good for a person could not essentially be good for the celebration, Ramesh mentioned.

Referring to the Congress organisation as a “sleeping giant,” Ramesh mentioned the yatra has definitely given new hope to it however this isn’t adequate as this has simply opened a possibility and now it is dependent upon the organisation on completely different ranges to take ahead the momentum that has been generated.

“It (yatra) has been a great booster dose for the organisation and people are talking of the Congress in a different light than they were five months ago,” he mentioned.

Talking about Gandhi’s picture transformation, Ramesh mentioned this was not the reason for the yatra however it was a consequence of the yatra. Gandhi’s picture transformation among the many individuals has been an incredible bonus, Ramesh mentioned.

“I think the BJP maligning Rahul Gandhi is not going to stop because their only game is maligning and defamation. But the credibility of what they are doing is far less than what it used to be. There will be few takes of the ‘Pappufication’ as you call it,” he asserted.

Ramesh added that there has additionally been a metamorphosis by way of the narrative of the Congress.

AWANTIPORA (J-Ok): The Congress should be the “fulcrum” of any Opposition alliance to tackle the BJP within the 2024 common elections as no coalition will be “meaningful” or “relevant” with out it, senior chief Jairam Ramesh mentioned on Saturday.

The Congress common secretary additionally mentioned that in his view, the Congress ought to be getting ready to struggle by itself in each state within the 2029 common elections.

In an interview with PTI, Ramesh mentioned he will surely put his weight behind doing one other yatra from Gujarat’s Porbandar to Arunachal Pradesh’s Parshuram Kund this yr however the celebration has to take a name on it will definitely.

“I certainly have been giving a thought to it. Now, whether the party will or not (undertake such a yatra), I cannot say. But ideally, when the Bharat Jodo Yatra was thought of in Udaipur, there was also a thought of moving from west to east,” mentioned Ramesh, who together with Digvijaya Singh, is taken into account to be the mind behind the Kanyakumari to Kashmir ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is able to culminate on January 30 in Srinagar.

Asked if the Congress could be the fulcrum of an Opposition coalition, particularly after the large cross-country march it has undertaken, Ramesh mentioned, “I certainly believe so. It stands to reason as we are the only national political party even today (besides the BJP).”

“We may not be in power in state after state but if you look at the presence in every village, mohalla, block, town or city, you would find Congress workers, Congress families,” he mentioned.

The BJP could also be in energy however by way of sheer presence, the Congress is the one nationwide political power, Ramesh claimed.

“Just measuring our influence by the number of states we govern or the percentage of votes that we get is a very narrow perspective. The ideology of the Congress is at the Centre. It is a Centre-Left party. Every party veers around to the Congress point of view, to the middle path, the path of consensus and conciliation,” he mentioned.

“So yes, we are the fulcrum. If we are going to take on the BJP, it is only a coalition around the Congress (that can do so),” he added.

ALSO READ | Disinformation stalks Rahul Gandhi on Bharat Jodo Yatra

Addressing a press convention on the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) workplace in Srinagar, Ramesh mentioned after the Yatra, opposition events will start the method of talks and political negotiations, however the cross-country march had nothing to do with it.

“Any opposition platform to defeat the BJP must be based on two realities – Congress must be the pivot or the fulcrum of any Opposition alliance, without the Congress, no opposition alliance is relevant or meaningful,” he mentioned.

“Any Opposition alliance must be based on a constructive agenda, not just a negative agenda of anti-BJP-ism or anti-government-ism. This is not the business of the Bharat Jodo Yatra which has nothing to do with elections,” Ramesh mentioned.

Any try to construct a significant, profitable coalition in opposition to the BJP should be pivoted across the Congress, he asserted.

Asked about some Opposition leaders conveying their incapacity to attend the January 30 occasion, he mentioned it was not a setback.

In the interview with PTI, Ramesh mentioned he would ideally need the Congress to tackle the BJP alone however that might not be lifelike in 2024.

“My view is that, for 2029, we should be preparing to fight on our own in every state. But I am realistic that this position may not find favours within my own political party,” he mentioned.

He, nevertheless, added that in some states, the Congress has given an excessive amount of house to its allies which is detrimental to organisation constructing.

Rahul Gandhi’s key message has all the time been to construct the organisation first and energy will comply with, however the Congress has reversed that sequence, he mentioned, including that the previous celebration chief’s view is the appropriate one.

“Long years of being in power has been detrimental to the organisational vitality. With the Bharat Jodo Yatra, this (organisational vitality) has gotten a booster and momentum but that has to be sustained,” Ramesh mentioned.

“We cannot go back to having conflicts within the organisation between leaders, clashes among different groups. One would expect that after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, we have found a higher purpose,” he confused.

ALSO READ | Bharat Jodo Yatra helps Rahul Gandhi rebuild political picture

The Bharat Jodo Yatra is a good trigger involving a lot of Congress staff and the largeness of the trigger should mirror in our behaviour and method relating to a halt, in any other case, it will simply be one episode, Ramesh mentioned.

“I have been saying this is not an event, it is a movement. So, if we want it to be seen as a movement, we must treat it as a movement,” he added.

Asked about private ambitions affecting the celebration’s prospects in varied states and the way the Congress would remedy Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot-Sachin Pilot feud, Ramesh mentioned, “These personal ambition and personal goals have been a bane of the Congress. What the Bharat Jodo Yatra has done is that it has brought a sense of collective purpose and solidarity, and that is what is needed in state after state, including in Rajasthan.”

The organisation has to triumph, not particular person egos and ambitions, as what is nice for the organisation can be good for celebration people however what could also be good for a person could not essentially be good for the celebration, Ramesh mentioned.

Referring to the Congress organisation as a “sleeping giant,” Ramesh mentioned the yatra has definitely given new hope to it however this isn’t adequate as this has simply opened a possibility and now it is dependent upon the organisation on completely different ranges to take ahead the momentum that has been generated.

“It (yatra) has been a great booster dose for the organisation and people are talking of the Congress in a different light than they were five months ago,” he mentioned.

Talking about Gandhi’s picture transformation, Ramesh mentioned this was not the reason for the yatra however it was a consequence of the yatra. Gandhi’s picture transformation among the many individuals has been an incredible bonus, Ramesh mentioned.

“I think the BJP maligning Rahul Gandhi is not going to stop because their only game is maligning and defamation. But the credibility of what they are doing is far less than what it used to be. There will be few takes of the ‘Pappufication’ as you call it,” he asserted.

Ramesh added that there has additionally been a metamorphosis by way of the narrative of the Congress.