Rahul Gandhi calls Opposition united, says 2024 election results will ‘surprise’ people

Rahul Gandhi, currently on his US tour, expressed confidence in the unity of the Opposition in India and said that significant progress is being made on the ground. During a Thursday conversation at the National Press Club in Washington DC, Gandhi emphasised the emergence of a hidden undercurrent that he believes will "surprise" the people in the upcoming 2024 elections. In addition, he discussed his party's ongoing communication and collaboration with fellow opposition forces. 

"We are having conversations with all the Opposition (parties). I think quite a lot of good work is happening there,” Gandhi said. He acknowledged the complexities involved due to areas of competition among these parties but expressed optimism that a Grand Opposition alliance against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the national level would come to fruition.

“It’s a complicated discussion because there are spaces where we are competing with the Opposition. So a bit of give and take is required. But I am confident that it (a Grand Opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre) will happen," he said.

The Gandhi scion further expressed confidence in his party's performance in the upcoming two years, adding that a "hidden undercurrent" will surprise people in the 2024 elections. "I think the Congress party will do very well in the next two years. I think it will... I think there is a hidden undercurrent building…I think (the outcome) will surprise people," the Congress leader opined.

Rahul speaks on PM Modi's popularity

During his conversation at the National Press Club, when asked about the worldwide high levels of popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi attributed the PM's popularity to what he perceives as a capture of institutions and the press in India. There is a “definite capture of the institutions of the country. There’s a definite capture of the press in the country. I’m not convinced that you know, I don’t, I don’t believe everything I hear," he said.

"You have to have an independent set of institutions that are not pressurised and controlled. And that’s been the norm in India. This is an aberration that is taking place in India... It’s not just press freedom. It’s political access on multiple axes, there is a clamp down on the institutional framework that allowed India to talk, that allowed the Indian people to negotiate…. And that structure that allows the negotiation between India’s people is coming under pressure," the Congress leader said.

(With inputs from agencies)