Kochi (Kerala)

 Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday hit out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP, alleging that they "stand for centralisation of power," unlike the Congress.

Addressing the United Democratic Front (UDF) Mahapanchayat in Kochi, Rahul Gandhi also hailed the alliance workers for the performance in the Kerala Panchayat Elections 2025, where it gained a majority on 382 Gram Panchayats, 75 Block Panchayats and six District Panchayats.

Attacking the BJP and RSS, Rahul Gandhi said, "If you look slightly deeply at the difference between the BJP, the RSS and the Congress party, you will see that they stand for centralisation of power, and we stand for decentralisation of power. They want compliance from the people of India. They do not want to hear the voice of the people of India."

Speaking of a vision in Kerala after victory in the Panchayat elections, he took a jibe at the LDF government in the state, alleging an "unemployment problem".

As the state is scheduled to hold the Assembly elections later this year, Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence in the Congress-led alliance's victory.

He said, "We had many meetings where senior leaders came to Delhi, and in those meetings, different people had different opinions, and I was very clear, in both those meetings, I said that the UDF is going to win the Panchayat elections and the Vidhan Sabha elections."

"But to me, there is a bigger question. What is the UDF and the Congress party going to do once they win the election? There is a huge unemployment problem in this state. The UDF and the Congress party have to provide a vision for Kerala which addresses this unemployment problem, and I am confident that the leadership on this stage has the ability to understand what the people of Kerala want and deliver what the people of Kerala need," the Congress MP added.

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Congress-led UDF currently forms the opposition in the state, and is looking to defeat the CPI(M)-led LDF alliance, while the BJP, after winning the Thiruvananthapuram civic body elections, looks to turn it into a triangular contest and make a mark in the upcoming Legislative Assembly polls.