Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (31) said he considers the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as his "guru" (teacher) as the BJP shows him a roadmap and teaches him "what should never be done".
Addressing a press conference, the parliamentarian from Wayanad in the southern state of Kerala said, "I want them (BJP) to attack us aggressively, this will help Congress party understand its ideology. I consider them (BJP) as my Guru, they are showing me the way and training me on what is not to be done."
While talking about the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' (Unite India March) which entered New Delhi on December 24 before taking a nine-day break, he said, "When I started this, I just took it as an ordinary yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Slowly we understood that this yatra has a voice & feelings."
"The doors of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' are open for everyone, we are not going to stop anyone from joining us. Akhilesh ji, Mayawati ji and others want "Mohabbat ka Hindustan" (India of love)," he said in an open invite to the other parties of the opposition ahead of the 2024 general elections.
The yatra, which is Gandhi's mass-contact campaign, was issued cautionary notes by the Narendra Modi government amid a rise in Covid-19 cases across neighbouring countries.
So far, the Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, has covered parts of other states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Haryana.
It is the longest march on foot by any Indian politician in the history of India, the Congress has claimed.
With this yatra, Rahul Gandhi aims to mobilise the party cadre and unite the general public against the BJP's "divisive politics in the country".
[With PTI inputs]
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