'Decided, Will Reply After Polls': Rahul Gandhi on Being Congress Chief Again

I've made my decision, I'm very clear & I'll reply when election for Congress president takes place, Gandhi said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 9 September, said he has made his decision on whether he will become the next party president.

Speaking to reporters in Kanyakumari, from where the Bharat Jodo Yatra has started, Gandhi said, "I've made my decision; I'm very clear and I'll reply when election for the Congress president takes place. It will become very clear whether I become president or not when the party elections take place. Please wait for that day."

Gandhi had on Wednesday, 7 September, flagged off the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Gandhi Mandapam in Kanyakumari. The 3,500 km-long yatra will cover 12 locations, from Tamil Nadu to Jammu & Kashmir, in a span of 150 days.

'Yatra Is an Attempt To Undo Damages by BJP, RSS': Gandhi

Answering queries of reporters about the BJP attacking the Congress over the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said, "Everybody has an opinion. BJP has a opinion, RSS will have an opinion, and they are welcome to have an opinion. For us in the Congress party, this is an attempt to understand what is going on in the ground in India and an attempt to undo the damages made by BJP and RSS."

When asked why several leaders are quitting the Congress, Gandhi said, "Obviously, the BJP has better means of putting pressure on them than I do. Also, the BJP has taken control of all the institutions of this country. They have inserted their people in these institutions to target people. Everyone is aware of the role played by CBI, ED."

Now the fight is between the structure of the Indian State and the Opposition and not between two parties, he added.

Gandhi said there was a need to unite India through the Bharat Jodo Yatra, as "the people of the country are not living in harmony. The country is divided along religious, state lines. People do not have work. Two or three big businesses are controlling everything. You have massive price rise."

Gandhi further asserted that he is just participating in the yatra and not leading it. When asked if the yatra will also help unite the Congress party, he said that it was possible.

Responding to questions on whether the Congress, along with other Opposition parties, would come together to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he said, "It's the responsibility of the entire Opposition to come together, everybody has a role in it."

(With inputs from PTI.)