No one should underestimate Congress, it is only party which can bring down BJP, says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi on Friday put a premium on his party over others, saying that the Congress is going to take down the "fascist" BJP, though a "lot of people" share a "fantasy that it (Congress) is dying and finished".

Asserting Congress's primacy in the secular fold, he said regional parties do not have a "national ideology". However, he underlined the need for his party to work with all Opposition parties, who he believed are "important" and to be appreciated.

He also found fault in the Opposition with the AAP's battle in Gujarat, "frankly" saying that if the Arvind Kejriwal-led party was not put as a "proxy" to target Congress, it would have defeated the BJP in the state.

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At the same time, he signalled that the Congress has found its way to fight elections operationally citing its Himachal Pradesh victory. He went on to say that the faction-ridden Congress could ensure a "massive victory" in Rajasthan "if we utilise our workers well".

He also sought to downplay the factional fight between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan, saying the party allows difference of opinion and will take action only if it was going to have a huge impact on the party.

Addressing a press conference in Jaipur as the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' completed 100 days, Rahul said he does not meant that there were no shortcomings in Congress or Congress did not do anything wrong.

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He said he might have been a little distant from the masses earlier but now the yatra is bringing him and several other Congress people close to people.

"We committed some mistakes, some big mistakes. But seeing the country's plight, the Congress is adapting. The day Congress catches its DNA, then nobody can defeat the Congress...I can say that the Congress can never be finished and mark my words, the BJP is going to be taken down by the Congress," he said.

Asked about factionalism in the party, he said there is no dictatorship in the party and it allows and tolerates "some" discussions. "There are no big problems (in Rajasthan)," he said.

He said a defamation campaign is on against the Congress and himself. He said the BJP is preaching that the Congress is withering away and ineffective but one should remember that it is an "ideological" party.

"If certain people want to leave the Congress party, if some lack the courage to take on the BJP, they are welcome to leave the party. We don't want them. What we need is people who are fighting the BJP, those who believe in Congress and those who are standing firm against fascism," he said.