Congress alone can't fight Modi govt: K C Venugopal

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Monday while reflecting on the need for Opposition unity said that Congress "alone cannot fight" the Narendra Modi government in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

He emphasised that to minimise the chances of splitting of anti-Bharatiya Janata Party votes, the unity of the opposition parties is a must criteria.

Speaking to ANI, the Congress General Secretary said, "The Congress is equally concerned about the Opposition unity. Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have rightly pointed out on several occasions that in the present situation, the Congress alone cannot fight this government. Congress will fight at any cost, but we need Opposition unity to fight against this anti-democratic, dictator government. There is a need for Opposition unity to fight against these forces."

"The Congress is very keen on that. The last Parliament session was an example. Kharge took the initiative and called the Opposition meet to have a single voice in the Parliament on the Adani issue. Broadly we are thinking that we should go against the BJP. We should not give a chance to split the anti-BJP votes," he added.

The Congress leader said that the party has taken up the "biggest task" of fighting against the "dictatorial government" alleging that there is an "emergency-like situation" in the country.

"Everybody knows the situation in the country today. The government of the day is doing total dictatorship. There is an undeclared emergency-like situation in the country. Fighting against this dictatorial government is the biggest task for the Opposition, especially for the Congress party," he said while alleging that the BJP government is indulging in dictatorial policies.

Mentioning that Bharat Jodo Yatra has infused energy and zeal among the party workers, he said that the cadre got fresh energy due to Bharat Jodo Yatra and are charged, "The immediate charge is the 2024 Parliament elections. We will formulate our ideas and policies accordingly to fight against the Modi government and to throw them out of power."

Speaking about the Chintan Shivir Declaration, he said that the party is particular about every office bearer.

"'50 under 50' is a decision of Udaipur Chintan Shivir. After the Chintan Shivir Declaration, we are very much particular about each and every office bearer. There should be a sufficient representation of youngsters below 50 years of age," he said.

"We can't do this in one fortnight. Some time is needed for the complete fulfilment of the target. But we are in the process. We are of the clear view that 50% of office bearers should be under 50 years of age," the Congress leader added.