Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday said he does not believe that Congress has lost its relevance at the national level, reported PTI.

“The Bharat Jodo Yatra of brother Rahul Gandhi has become a huge sensation among people,” Stalin told PTI in an interview. “It is creating a visible impact across the Union. The morale of the Congress Party cadre is at a new high. Congress getting back on track is what India needs now.”

The chief minister made the remarks on the day the Congress is observing its 138th foundation day.

Stalin said that the efforts taken by former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to strengthen the organisational structure of the party have started to yield benefits. “Senior leader [Mallikarjun] Kharge leads the party to resurgence with his vast experience,” he added.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief told the news agency that it was important to form a national alliance to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party in order to safeguard the independent functioning of the country’s constitutional institutions.

“The DMK in Tamil Nadu has already formed such an alliance and made it a successful model to implement elsewhere,” he said.

Describing Congress MP Rahul Gandhi as a promising young leader, Stalin said that the former Congress chief has a crystal-clear approach to relevant issues.

He said that Gandhi understands the diverse nature of the country and opposes the politics of communal hatred and the domination of “one language”.

“These qualities make him the ideal antidote to BJP’s parochial politics,” Stalin said. “Rahul Gandhi fights BJP not only on electoral lines but also on ideological lines. This is why Rahul is being targeted by BJP. It actually shows his strength.”

To mark the beginning of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7, Stalin had handed over the national flag to Gandhi as a symbolic gesture. The Congress says that the 3,570-km march is aimed at countering the politics of division espoused by the BJP.

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