Hold BJP to its promises, Rahul Gandhi tells Youth Congress leaders

NEW DELHI: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday told partymen that BJP had made a mountain of promises and the coming months would be the time to hold them to their manifesto.

The Congress vice-president told leaders of Youth Congress that protests would be the way of politics in the opposition after the defeat in Lok Sabha polls. Rahul Gandhi said Congress should be ready to seize on the failings of the BJP government, of which non-fulfilment of promises would be a big component.

As far as Congress-led UPA government's record was concerned, the BJP could not touch the immense progress done under Manmohan Singh's regime, he said. Rahul was addressing a closed-door review meet of Youth Congress.

Further, a strong demand for Rahul Gandhi to take the role of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha was today made at a meeting of Indian Youth Congress (IYC). "Youth Congress leaders want Rahulji should be Leader of Opposition. Demand raised before leadership at Youth Congress meeting," IYC chief Rajeev Satav said in a tweet following the meeting.

Satav said that although Rahul Gandhi assured them that he would be with them through thick and thin, he did not reveal his mind over the demand for him to be Leader of Opposition. The IYC members also told Gandhi that they would back him the way they had backed former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during her difficult days. The meeting saw Rahul Gandhi asking the youth Congress unit to be battle- ready even as he promised widespread changes in Congress. "Rahulji urges youth Congress leaders to be ready for struggle. He addressed Youth Congress at Constitution Club, New Delhi," Satav said in another tweet after the nearly three-hour-long meeting.

Rahul Gandhi also told the gathering that the party would see greater representation of the youth and discussed the reasons that led to Congress ending up with its worst-ever tally of 44 MPs in Lok Sabha. A number of Congress general secretaries have been pitching for Gandhi to become the Leader of Opposition saying that since the Lok Sabha polls had seen the Congress Vice President being pitted as the party's face against BJP's Narendra Modi, it was but natural for him to lead when the chips were down.