Rahul Gandhi brought Congress back in the reckoning: Scindia

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday credited victory in the Assembly polls in three states to party chief Rahul Gandhi, saying it was he who brought the Congress back in the reckoning. The Congress on Tuesday wrested back power from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Speaking at the India Economic Conclave organised by Times Network here through video conference, Scindia accused the BJP of destroying the "institutional framework".

"People in India are concerned about their lives, their livelihood and development. They are concerned about an atmosphere of peace and security and an environment of tolerance," the Guna MP said. The BJP presented an antithesis of "these factors" which was rejected by voters, he said.

"This is clearly Rahul Gandhi's election. He has brought the Congress back onto the board of India," he said. About the BJP targeting Rahul Gandhi during the campaign, Scindia said the saffron party had different tenets under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's leadership. "We have always believed in grace and simplicity and humility and we continue to follow the tenets which are very close to our heart....these tenets were the hallmark of the BJP during the rule of Vajpayee government," he said.

In the last five years, the BJP has "completely lost" these principles, Scindia alleged. "Let's hope they get some of that back, we will certainly not move away from the way we behave," he added. Asked about the coming Lok Sabha elections, Scindia claimed that the BJP will be routed in most of the country "because the people have seen through their game". The Congress, on the other hand, needs to work hard to meet people's aspirations in the next three months ahead of the general elections, he said.

"The BJP in the last five years has destroyed the institutional framework that we had built assiduously over the last 70 years, whether it be the RBI or CBI or be it the temples of democracy or educational institutions... even Parliament and judiciary," Scindia said. Restoration of these institutions was extremely important and the Congress was committed to it, he said.

(With inputs from agencies.)