Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 'Congress is deeply rooted in UP', says party's new state in-charge Avinash Pande

'I will take forward the work done by Priyanka ji who has boosted the morale of the workers by working tirelessly in the last five years,' said Pande.

Nagpur: The Congress is deeply-rooted in Uttar Pradesh and closely associated with the grand old party’s ideology, says veteran leader Avinash Pande, who was recently appointed as AICC general secretary in-charge of the northern Indian state with the maximum seats (80) in Lok Sabha.

The Nagpur-based Pande, a former Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, replaced Priyanka Gandhi as the general secretary in Uttar Pradesh.

“If we look at the history of Uttar Pradesh, the basic mantra of the freedom movement and the establishment of democracy in the country has come from Uttar Pradesh. I don't see any such challenge in Uttar Pradesh given the fact that the Congress is deep rooted in the state and has a good organisation. In fact, today if there is any state that is closely associated with the ideology of the Congress, its thinking and its struggle, then it is Uttar Pradesh,” Pande told DH.

“The enthusiasm and dedication of the workers there is commendable. They are completely dedicated to the Gandhi family and the organisation. Therefore, it is a matter of pride for me that the confidence with which the party leadership has given me the opportunity to work in a state like Uttar Pradesh will be the most important moment of my lifetime,” Pande said, thanking Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

“We will stand there with the grassroots workers and try to live up to the expectations of the party leadership. Because due to the strength and dedication of the workers, they are getting an opportunity to help,” he said and praised the leadership of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Rai.

Asked who among the Gandhi family members would contest from Uttar Pradesh, he said: “It totally depends on them. It is they who would take a call.”

“I will take forward the work done by Priyanka ji who has boosted the morale of the workers by working tirelessly in the last five years. It is natural that she would travel the entire country. They (Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka) are needed at the national level,” he said.

On the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Pande said: “This Lok Sabha election is a golden opportunity to bring change in the country. The people of the country are experiencing a situation like an undeclared emergency. Where no person can raise a voice against the wrong policies of the government. If someone raises his voice, an effort is made to suppress that voice completely. This is the biggest threat to democracy.”

On the I.N.D.I.A opposition bloc, Pande said: “It is very clear that the purpose for which the I.N.D.I.A was established is that like-minded parties have come together to save democracy.”