Rahul Gandhi to visit Pachmarhi on November 8–9:Congress district presidents told BJP wins by setting agenda; urged to play on their own ground

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will attend the Madhya Pradesh Congress’ district presidents’ training camp being held at Hotel Highland in Pachmarhi on November 8 and 9. The training programme, which began on November 2, focuses on organisational revival and ideological clarity ahead of upcoming elections. PCC Chief Jitu Patwari confirmed Gandhi’s proposed visit. Congress told: Don’t play on BJP’s turf On the second day of the camp, Delhi Congress in-charge and Uttarakhand MLA Qazi Nizamuddin cautioned party leaders against falling into the BJP’s agenda. “The BJP invites us to play cricket on a football field — and then defeats us. We must not play on their ground,” he said. He added that the BJP deliberately diverts public attention through communal and divisive issues, urging Congress workers to focus on people-centric concerns instead. First day focused on ideology and self-assessment The camp was inaugurated by Sachin Rao, National In-charge of the Congress Training Department and CWC member. Also present were PCC Chief Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar. Rao explained the importance of training and ideological grounding in politics, discussing topics such as “What is Congress?”, “What is ideology?”, and “Who is a true worker?” He emphasised that without Congress’ ideology, neither the Constitution nor democracy can truly function. “A worker doesn’t draw a salary; he is driven by ideology,” Rao said, urging district chiefs to strengthen grassroots connections. Gandhian values shared through real-life stories Rao also narrated incidents from Mahatma Gandhi’s life, including the moment Gandhi gave his clothes to a poor woman, and later chose to live with minimal clothing for the rest of his life — symbolising empathy and equality.
He drew parallels between Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha and the spirit of people-led freedom, calling it the essence of real leadership and transformation. Muslim representation and secularism discussed Addressing the camp, Qazi Nizamuddin said the BJP is distorting the image of Muslims through issues like triple talaq, Article 370, and “love jihad”. “They try to portray Muslims as fearful and overpopulated to push their Hindutva narrative,” he remarked. He also argued that while BJP uses emotional issues for polarisation, development without harmony and peace is meaningless. ‘Congress nurtured people like Ramdev, BJP took credit’ Nizamuddin cited the example of Baba Ramdev, noting that his rise was aided by Congress leaders like Kamal Nath, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and N.D. Tiwari, but the party failed to publicise its own contributions. “We shouldn’t leave gaps — we must support those who remain loyal to our ideology till their last breath,” he said. Rahul Gandhi aware of perceptions, says Shashikanth Senthil Congress MP and Organisation-Building Campaign head Shashikanth Senthil told delegates that Rahul Gandhi is fully aware of how people perceive him. “We don’t need to give him advice; we must give him strength,” he said.
He urged leaders not to make statements that could benefit the BJP and instead focus on “setting our own pitch and playing on it.” Day 3: Focus on gender sensitisation and women’s empowerment On the third day, Ahmedabad City Congress President and former AICC Secretary Sonal Patel conducted a session on ‘Gender Sensitisation – Awareness and Equality’. She emphasised that gender equality is not just a policy but a mindset and behaviour that must be internalised at all levels of society. “Women’s participation and leadership are vital to strengthen the organisation,” Patel said, encouraging more active inclusion of women within Congress structures.