Focus on local body polls, Rahul tells TN's Congress workers

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked party workers to dispel doubts about the party regaining power in Tamil Nadu in the future, but urged them to strengthen it by focusing more on local body polls instead of being 'preoccupied' with Parliament or assembly elections.

"Most youth Congress leaders are preoccupied with assembly and parliamentary elections and do not care about panchayat and local bodies. We have to strengthen the party from the grassroots. Youth Congress workers should concentrate on local body elections," he told youth Congress workers.

On the second day of his visit to galvanise party cadres in the state, which is going to the assembly polls in five months, Gandhi said the workers should concentrate on building the party from the grassroot level.

Pointing out that the Congress had been out of power for the last 40 years in Tamil Nadu, Gandhi urged party cadres to work towards bringing back the party rule in the state.

He claimed the party had emerged stronger after the youth Congress organisation elections. A Madurai report said Gandhi garlanded the statue of former Congress state minister Kakkan in the city and paid homage to him on his death anniversary.

On Wednesday night, he visited the Dalit hostel near the Circuit house in the city, examined the facilities and interacted with students, it said.