"Connect With People Broken": Rahul Gandhi Announces Yatras From October

Attacking the BJP-led Centre, he said that the country's vital institutions have been manipulated and voices muzzled.

India doesn't yet understand the consequences of muzzling expression, former Congress president and MP Rahul Gandhi warned on the concluding day of the Congress strategy meeting (Chintan Shivir) in Rajasthan's Udaipur. He said the grand old party is criticised for allowing internal conversations and party members are allowed to voice their views and concerns "unlike BJP and the RSS". 

"We will have to accept that our connections have been broken from the masses, the people know that it is the Congress that can lead the nation ahead," he said addressing over 400 party members. He asserted that there is no shortcut to reconnecting with the people and the party will have to sweat it out. "Spend months, not just one or two days among farmers and labourers," he appealed to party workers and leaders. He assured party members that he will himself fight against the BJP along with them. "I have never been corrupt haven't taken any money and I am not scared and will fight," Mr Gandhi said.

Highlighting the need to strengthen itself as a formidable and primary national opposition party, he said that regional parties can't fight like the Congress. If there is one area the BJP is better in is communication, he said, adding that they have a lot of money and are better at communicating with the people. "We have to reform our communication and connect with the people," he added.

Attacking the BJP-led Centre, he said that the country's vital institutions have been manipulated and voices muzzled. The judiciary has been misled, the Election Commission's arm twisted and the media has been silenced through threats and intimidation, he said. Mentioning the Israeli military-grade spyware Pegasus, he said it's a method to silence and strangle the political class".