Cong to focus on people between BPL and middle class: Rahul

Hinting at a shift from traditional pro-poor politics of his party, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today said after the coming Lok Sabha elections, the party will focus on the uplift of those who fall between below poverty line category and the middle class.

"Congress party has done a great job for the downtrodden families, to bring them above the poverty line in the past five to ten years.

"After we form the government after the Lok Sabha elections, the focus will be on a new category which is above poverty line and below the middle class, catering to carpenters, taxi drivers, masons whose population is about 70 crore," Rahul said.

He was interacting with party office-bearers and elected representatives of panchayat and urban bodies at the Balbeer Juneja Indoor stadium here this evening. "After elections, there will be a deep change in Congress. Party will connect and listen more to its workers," he said.

Taking on BJP, he said those trying to wipe out Congress would disappear themselves."The BJP leaders say they want to remove Congress from the country. But the Opposition does not understand the history, that we are not an organisation, we are an ideology. The ideology of brotherhood, respect and love. No one can wipe out Congress and whoever tries to do so, will vanish," he said.

The party will have to win cent per cent seats in Chhattisgarh, Rahul added. He also held closed-door meetings with the party delegates.