Congress "Solid Party" In Gujarat, AAP Is Only "In The Air": Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday exuded confidence that his party will win the Gujarat assembly elections, contending that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has only created a buzz in the state purely on the basis of advertisements and had no support on the ground.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Gandhi said there was a massive anti-incumbency against the BJP-led government in the state.

"Congress is contesting the Gujarat elections effectively. AAP is only in the air. It has nothing on the ground. Congress is a solid party in Gujarat," he told reporters here to questions on his party's prospects in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.

"There is massive anti-incumbency. The media has created a buzz based on the advertisements given by AAP. Congress party is a solid party in Gujarat. Congress party is going to win the election there," he said.

Mr Gandhi refused to comment on the tragedy in Morbi where a bridge collapsed leaving more than 130 dead, saying he did not wish to politicise the incident.

The former Congress president also ruled out any possibility of a tie up with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

"There is absolutely no possibility of any relationship between the TRS and the Congress," he said.

Mr Gandhi said the TRS was diametrically opposite to what the Congress stood for.

"The corruption, the approach, the attitude of TRS is not acceptable to us. We are diametrically opposite to what they are doing," he said.

Asked about TRS founder K Chandrasekhar Rao's move to rename his party as the Bharath Rashtra Samithi, Mr Gandhi said the Telangana chief minister was free to imagine that he was leading a national or even an international party.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)