UP Cong has 'biggest responsibility' in making Rahul Gandhi PM: Ajay Rai

Newly appointed president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Ajay Rai on Thursday said the party's state unit has the "biggest responsibility" in making Rahul Gandhi the prime minister of the country and exhorted party workers to work hard to achieve the goal.

Rai was addressing a gathering of office bearers and workers of the Congress after taking charge as the state unit chief at the party's headquarters here.

"Everybody now wants Rahul Gandhi to become the prime minister of the country...party's UP unit has the biggest responsibility in making him the PM. We all work for Rahul Gandhi and for the party, only then we will be able to show our strength in 2024 (Lok Sabha) polls," Rai said.

Rai, who comes from Varanasi, has contested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and 2019 general elections.

"I come from Kashi where people of all religions live together. This is also the thinking of the Congress," he said.

He also hit out at the ruling BJP, saying that Congress leaders and workers cannot be cowed down by use of bulldozers and central agencies like ED and CBI.

"We will stand in front of bulldozers and change its direction... We will not tolerate injustice and atrocities unleashed by the government," said Rai.

He was apparently referring to the Adityanath government's recent action against mafias and anti-social elements where "illegal" properties have been razed using bulldozers across the state.

Speaking at the occasion, Congress' Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari said, "The opposition INDIA alliance has written the political death of NDA. Now BJP's farewell is fixed. The people of the country have made up their mind...62 per cent votes are against the ruling alliance."

The task is cut out for Rai to galvanise the party in UP where it has seen a downslide in recent years. In the 2019 general elections, Rahul Gandhi even lost from the party's traditional seat of Amethi. The party has a lone MP from the state in the form of Sonia Gandhi from Raebareli.