Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajasthan president Madan Rathore on 7 October 2026 launched a pointed attack on the Indian National Congress (Congress), asserting that the party's show of unity is nothing more than a performance staged for cameras, while deep internal divisions persist among its top leadership. Rathore made the remarks in Jaipur ahead of the state's upcoming Panchayati Raj elections.

The Unity Charade, According to BJP

Rathore alleged that Congress leaders are locked in a race to assert individual political dominance over one another, making any display of solidarity hollow. 'The Congress is merely putting on a charade of unity. Their unity is for the camera, while deep-seated differences continue to exist within the party,' he said. He questioned why Congress leaders repeatedly felt compelled to publicly demonstrate their togetherness if the party were genuinely cohesive — arguing that the very need to perform unity betrays its absence.

Gehlot in the Crosshairs

Rathore reserved particular criticism for former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, alleging that Gehlot continues to position himself as the Congress's undisputed supreme authority — or, as Rathore put it, the party's 'Mathadheesh'. He argued that a senior leader ought to create space for others within the organisation rather than perpetually placing himself at the centre. Rathore also pointed to Gehlot's recent remark that former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot would 'not repeat his past mistakes this time', contending that such a statement itself exposed the lingering fault lines between the two Congress heavyweights.

Panchayat Polls as the Real Test

Rathore predicted that the Congress's internal contradictions would become unmistakably visible during the forthcoming Panchayati Raj elections. He drew a distinction between Congress leaders sharing a stage and the harder task of ensuring genuine coordination among party workers at the grassroots level. 'Appearing together on a stage is one thing, but ensuring coordination among supporters and party workers at the grassroots level is another,' he said. He claimed the Congress had already been rejected by voters in the recent civic body elections and forecast an even sharper defeat in the Panchayat polls.

BJP's Confidence in Bhajan Lal Government

Rathore expressed confidence that Rajasthan voters would judge Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma's government — now roughly two-and-a-half years into office — on the basis of its development record. 'The public will repose its faith in the work done by the Bhajan Lal government. Congress is headed for a defeat even worse than the one it suffered in the civic body elections,' he said. This comes amid a broader BJP effort to consolidate its hold on Rajasthan after its decisive 2023 assembly election victory, which ended Gehlot's five-year tenure.