Ahmedabad, July 18 (IANS) Newly appointed Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda has pledged to lead a proactive, people-centric opposition aimed at ensuring the welfare, peace, prosperity, and security of Gujarat’s citizens.

Addressing party workers and the press following his return from Delhi, Chavda said the Congress would firmly raise the voice of the common people, especially at a time when the “double-engine BJP government is actively suppressing it”.

Chavda, a former state Congress president and seasoned MLA, said the party would launch an extensive ‘Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan’, strengthening the organisation from booth to state level.

“We will ensure that grassroots workers are empowered and their voices reflected in all party decisions,” he said, adding that new faces would be given opportunities as part of a renewed organisational structure.

Expressing gratitude to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, and Gujarat in-charge Mukul Wasnik for entrusting him with the leadership, Chavda also thanked thousands of Congress workers and leaders who welcomed him at Ahmedabad airport upon his arrival.

He emphasised that the Congress will intensify its outreach efforts, build direct public engagement, and fight for key issues affecting Gujarat.

“We will fight for the rights of youth, farmers, women, the marginalised, and the oppressed. The present government thrives on bureaucratic overreach, commission raj, and corruption. It must be challenged head-on,” he said.

Chavda criticised the BJP-led state government for its alleged authoritarianism, accusing it of stifling democratic dissent. “Citizens are being harassed for voicing concerns. Journalists and whistleblowers are threatened into silence. This undeclared emergency must end, and Congress workers will be at the forefront to protect democracy,” he declared.

Referring to growing public anger, he said: “Bridges are collapsing, people are dying, daughters are being pushed to suicide, and cattle farmers are being cane-charged for raising their demands. The people of Gujarat are losing faith in the BJP.”

Quoting Rahul Gandhi’s recent speech in Parliament, Chavda said the Congress is committed to defeating the BJP in Gujarat and restoring true democratic governance. “We will fight together, as one Congress family from the top leadership to the last worker on the ground and ensure that the people of Gujarat reclaim their rights and dignity,” he concluded.

–IANS

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