'Gujarat Polls Will Be The Turning Point'

Congress general secretary in-charge of Gujarat, Ashok Gehlot, tellsBula Devi his party will defeat the BJP in the state and Rahul Gandhi may become Congress president before the year ends. 

- Bula Devi

Rahul Gandhi’s Navsarjan Yatra has created quite a buzz in Gujarat and elsewhere. Has it managed to rejuvenate the Congress workers?

Party workers are fully energised, active and motivated. Rahul’s visit has recharged them. Their response in meetings and rallies reflects their enthusiasm.

What does this hype translate into on the ground?

Gujarat elections will be the turning point for the country. The people are living in fear; they feel the BJP and (PM Narendra) Modi have ditched them with false promises. Farmers are dying, young people are jobless, SCs and STs see no future, small businessmen and traders are hit by GST. Everybody is disillusioned with the government. The Gujarat polls will be a setback for Modi, and that would be in the national interest. Gujarat’s voters will usher in the change the country needs.

The Congress, once the ruling party in the state, has been out of power for several years. Is there any real chance of staging a comeback?