Claiming anti-incumbency against the ruling BJP in Gujarat, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Monday, rejected the AAP’s claim that the party has no presence on grounds. He asserted that the Congress will win this time.

Addressing a press meet in Kothur in the course of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi was addressing emphatically that in Telangana, the Congress will never tie up with the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) which he dubbed as a party steeped in corruption.

“Congress is fighting very effectively in Gujarat and it will win the elections. Anti incumbency is very high in Gujarat. AAP is only present in the air. They have no presence on the ground,” he said.

The Congress leader pointed out that the AAP was spending on advertisements to create a buzz while the Congress has a solid presence in the state. He, however, declined to blame anybody for the bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat which claimed more than 140 lives as he did not want to politicise the matter which, he said would be disrespectful to the dead.

Ruling out any chance of Congress allying with TRS in Telangana. Rajhul pointed out that his party was diametrically opposite to the TRS.

“There is absolutely no question of Congress having any relation with the TRS. The Congress party has made this very clear. The confusion is created by TRS themselves,” he said.

The congress MP further said, , “We are very clear we cannot stand corruption, the attitude and stand of the TRS. The TRS is looting the people of Telangana, snatching away the land from Dalits and tribals.”

Gandhi has been meeting farmers and other civil society activists during his Yatra in Telangana and has been critical of the state’s new land and revenue portal, the Dharani. He also took a subtle dig at Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for his resolve to keep the Congress out of the unified Opposition. When asked about the BRS, he said, “He is welcome to think he is running an international party, one that is fighting elections in the US, fighting China. The fight is actually between two ideologies. The Opposition parties should work together, harmoniously to defeat the ideology of RSS and BJP.”

 Asked about the BJP-TRS tussle in the state over poaching of MLAs, he said, “These parties are spending hundreds of crores of rupees. The question to be asked is where the money is coming from. Obviously, this money is coming from corruption. This money is being distributed blatantly without any regard for any rule. It shows the similarities between the two structures. Both these parties steal public money, and then use this public money to win elections.”

Gandhi admitted that while the Yatra was a good step to connect with the people, it was not a magic wand to resolve all problems of the grand old party.

New Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to reach Hyderabad tomorrow and participate in Bharat Jodo Yatra.