Rahul Gandhi on Friday said no one should underestimate the Congress as it is ideologically driven and is the only party which can bring down the BJP, which he alleged is fascist. Addressing a press conference here on the completion of 100 days of the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra, he welcomed anyone wanting to leave the party saying the Congress does not need those who cannot fight the BJP and succumb to pressures because they may be corrupt.

"A lot of people have this fantasy that the Congress party is finished. But I can say that the Congress party can never be finished and mark my words the BJP is going to be taken down by the Congress party," he told reporters. Noting that no one should underestimate the Congress, Gandhi said lakhs and crores of party workers are its strength and "if we utilise our workers well, we will be able to ensure a massive victory of the Congress in Rajasthan in next elections".

Asked about the exodus of leaders from the Congress in the recent past, Gandhi said the Congress had in fact won the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections lately. "If certain people want to leave the Congress party, if some lack the courage to take on the BJP, they are welcome to leave the party. We don't want them. We want those who believe in the Congress party and don't believe in fascism," he said, alleging the BJP is fascist.

Asked about the response to the Bharat Jodo Yatra so far, he said it has been overwhelming in Rajasthan and the Hindi speaking belt. "We saw that it is not just the party workers, but general public also loves the Congress a lot...Critics felt the Bharat Jodo Yatra will fail in Rajasthan due to factionalism, but it has been a huge success here and the response has been overwhelming," the former Congress president said.?