Union Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur at a press conference in Jalandhar on April 22.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he was declared the party’s candidate from Rai Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday said everyone within the Congress — right from local leaders to the top leadership — is scared of the party’s impending defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

In Himachal Pradesh’s Sujanpur, Mr. Thakur, addressing a BJP gathering, said: “The Congress party leaders and workers have lost all hope. From the party’s local leaders to the top leadership, there is fear of defeat among them ahead of the polls. Rahul Gandhi, who recently came up with the slogan of ‘daro mat’ (don’t be afraid), is himself scared. He went to Wayanad from Amethi, then due to fear of loss in Wayanad, he now has gone to Rai Bareli, and not even Amethi. But no matter wher Rahul Gandhi contests, his defeat from both the places is certain.”

Mr. Thakur said the BJP is always confident of facing the Opposition as the party fights elections on the basis of its development track record and ideology. “The people of Himachal Pradesh will certainly ensure BJP’s win all four [Lok Sabha] seats as they did in 2014 and 2019,” he added.

Pointing out that the BJP was concerned about the rights of religious minorities in India’s neighbourhood, Mr. Thakur said people who had been waiting for citizenship for several years would benefit from the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, (CAA). “Soon, that auspicious time is going to come when Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Christians who came to India before 2014 after being persecuted on religious grounds from neighboring countries, will get Indian citizenship through CAA,” he said.