Published Mar 02, 2026 | 10:54 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 02, 2026 | 10:54 PM
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
Synopsis: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he was willing to become Prime Minister “for the sake of the country” if required, responding to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s appeal at a Congress training camp in Vikarabad. In his address to District Congress Committee presidents, he urged leaders to uphold non-violence, equality and grassroots engagement, and said the party must counter the BJP through democratic and peaceful means.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday, 2 March, said he was willing to become Prime Minister “for the sake of the country”. He was responding to an appeal by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the concluding session of the DCC presidents’ training camp in Vikarabad near Hyderabad.
This is the first time Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have given a positive signal that he would assume the office of Prime Minister if required.
In his speech, A Revanth Reddy said, “Rahul Gandhi must become Prime Minister for this country” given the present national circumstances, and urged party leaders and cadre to work towards that goal.
“I am not asking this as a Chief Minister, but as a Congress worker,” A Revanth Reddy said, adding that leadership was not about power or adornment but about service to the people. He said that although Rahul Gandhi comes from a family where his grandmother, father and grandfather had all served as Prime Ministers, he had no personal obsession with the post and had conducted himself like an ordinary party worker among the people.
But he said the present situation in the country demanded that Rahul Gandhi take on the responsibility of leading the nation.
In his address to the District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents, Rahul Gandhi said the core ideology of the Congress party is non-violence, peace and the pursuit of truth. He asked party leaders to uphold equality without discrimination based on caste, religion, class or gender, and to work with humility among the people.
“The party must become the strength of the people, and the people must become the strength of the party,” he said, urging leaders to shed arrogance and stay connected to grassroots realities. Referring to the Congress symbol—the hand—he described it as an ‘Abhaya Mudra’, a universal symbol of reassurance and protection.
Rahul Gandhi called for greater respect and representation for women within the party and told DCC presidents that their role was a responsibility, not a matter of prestige. He said sincere work would open opportunities for leadership growth at any level.
He also said that while the BJP seeks power by fostering division and hatred, the Congress must counter this by mobilising public support through democratic and peaceful means.
Rahul Gandhi is understood to have shown his skills in jujutsu, a traditional Japanese martial art that uses an opponent’s force against them. It relies not on strength but on technique, balance and leverage.
At the event, DCC presidents pledged to tour at least 30 villages each month to strengthen grassroots engagement. They announced plans to set up grievance cells at district offices to address public issues.
They said committees would be formed from booth to district level within two months to reinforce the organisation. The leaders also promised to take up key issues, including farmers’ distress, the alleged dilution of employment guarantee schemes, the effect of international agreements, and problems faced by gig workers in urban areas.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President Mahesh Kumar Goud described the 10-day ideological training programme for DCC presidents as historic, particularly because Rahul Gandhi personally took part.
He said the Congress government in Telangana had given unprecedented importance to Backward Classes (BCs), including by conducting a comprehensive caste survey and passing a related Bill in the Assembly under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s leadership. Despite what he said were attempts by the BJP and BRS to block its implementation, the party showed its commitment by ensuring higher representation for BCs in panchayat, municipal and corporation bodies.
Mahesh Kumar Goud added that although the legal reservation for BCs is 28 percent, the Congress fielded and secured victories for BC candidates in several general seats.
The party also gave significant representation to BC leaders in DCC appointments, he said, adding that all district committees would soon be completed to further strengthen the party. AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal and AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan were among those present.
