Knew him in college, Jyotiraditya Scindia was worried over political future, abandoned ideology: Rahul Gandhi

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday pitched in on the controversy surrounding the recent political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, where veteran Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia ended his 18-year-long association with the grand old party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday.

Gandhi recalled having known Scindia in his college years and said that the latter was worried about his political futures and hence he had left the party. "I know Jyotiraditya Scindia's ideology, he was with me in college, I know him well. He got worried about his political future, abandoned his ideology and went with RSS."

Although he lamented the loss of a leader, Gandhi was also steadfast in his resolve to differentiate between the Congress and the BJP and RSS on ideologies.

"This is a fight of ideologies. On one side is Congress and on the other side is BJP-RSS," the Congress MP said.

The remarks from Gandhi came a day after Scindia was formally inducted into the BJP fold in the presence of party president JP Nadda and other top leaders. Scindia, while addressing a press conference at the BJP HQ, accused his former party of corruption and said that it lacks vision. 

Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that Scindia will, however, not get the respect that he wants in the BJP. 

"But the reality is that he won't get respect there and he will not be satisfied. He will realise this, I know because I have been friends with him for long. What he is saying and what is in his heart is different," Rahul Gandhi said.

On being asked why he's not sending his core team members to Rajya Sabha, the Congress leader said, "I am not Congress President, I am not taking decisions on Rajya Sabha nominees. I am informing the youth of the country about the economy. Who is in my team, who is not in my team is irrelevant. Millions and millions of people in India are going to suffer like they have not suffered before."

Rahul Gandhi also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, claiming that there is no preparation regarding Coronavirus, as well as targetted the Centre over the condition of the economy.

Everyone can see the state of the economy. India's strength was its economy, Narendra Modi's ideology and policies have destroyed it. The problem of Coronavirus is very serious but the government has not taken action the way it should have. I am the leader of the Opposition, I am bringing the attention of people of India to a very serious problem. The central problem is that our biggest strength which was our economy has now become a huge weakness,'' Gandhi said.