03-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
'Lame horses need to retire': Rahul Gandhi launches campaign to revive Congress in BJP-ruled MP
BHOPAL: Demanding that 'lame horses' in the Madhya Pradesh Congress retire, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan (Organisation Rejuvenation Campaign) on Tuesday to rebuild the party in the BJP-ruled state.
'Congress has no dearth of talent who can defeat the BJP, but their hands are tied, particularly as their voices aren't heard properly in the party organization. We've an army to fight and die for the Congress's cause. But some leaders keep on making irresponsible utterances. Some speak out of frustration, while some other elements do it as they are also working for the BJP,' Gandhi said while addressing the state party convention after launching the Organization Rejuvenation Campaign in Bhopal.
He hinted at minimising the role of inactive and jaded leaders and promoting the most active, young and committed ones in the party's organization in the state, where it suffered two successive drubbings in the 2023 assembly and 2024 national elections. 'The time has come to identify and segregate race, marriage and lame horses. The race horses will be promoted and the marriage horses will be set aside for 'marriages',' he said.
'The lame horses need to retire now, have fodder, water and relax and stop disturbing the race horses. If they continue disturbing, action is imminent,' Gandhi said in a clear warning to non-performing and jaded leaders, particularly the saboteurs.
Detailing the campaign which has already been launched in Gujarat, he said, 'Through the campaign, the party's rebuilding is being started from individual district level. The exercise in Gujarat has led to two lists in each district -- one of potential district party chiefs and the other of existing district party presidents. Many existing district party chiefs were actually assistants of senior leaders, while the other list contained leaders for the future. We will replicate the same process in MP also.'
Gandhi's statements assumed significance due to statements by some party leaders, including state leader of opposition Umang Singhar and ex-minister PC Sharma, about the presence of saboteurs working for the BJP within the party. Also, it could be a clear-cut warning to leaders like ex-MP and former MLA Laxman Singh (ex-CM Digvijaya Singh) who has been regularly embarrassing the party by speaking against its official line.
