Gandhi, according to Solanki, made it clear that Gujarat is no longer just a BJP stronghold, it is the battleground. “If we defeat them here, they can be defeated anywhere,” Gandhi told the gathering, signalling a shift in Congress’s conventional strategy, which once prioritised states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He went further, slamming the BJP-RSS combine with a stinging metaphor likening the nation to a temple where everyone has the right to pray, but the ruling regime dictates the distribution of ‘prasad’ based on caste and privilege. “What a Dalit, OBC, or tribal receives is different from what an Ambani or Adani gets,” Gandhi was quoted as saying. Beyond rhetoric, the visit included strategic grassroots engagement. Gandhi held discussions with leaders from cooperative milk unions and dairy farmers, an influential community in Gujarat’s economic and political fabric. In an emotionally charged moment outside the Vadodara airport, a local Congress worker, Mitesh Parmar, ran in front of Gandhi’s convoy shouting, “Rahul Gandhi tum aage badho, hum tumhare saath hain!” Moved by the gesture, Gandhi called him over, shook his hand, and took his card instantly, reigniting the loyalist’s faith. Parmar, who claims to be burdened by dozens of cases for his activism, told reporters: “Ready to sacrifice my life to bring Congress to power in Gujarat; I’ve been fighting for 35 years, but senior leaders are blocking my path.”Later, Gandhi met with families of those killed in the Gambhira Bridge collapse in Vadodara district, continuing his emotionally resonant outreach amid political mobilisation. With old warhorses leading the charge and grassroots voices being heard, Congress’s Gujarat strategy is clearly shifting gears from defence to direct attack.
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