Nagpur: The stage appeared set for former Congress MLA from Chikhli in Buldhana district, Rahul Bondre, to join BJP. However, a late-night phone call from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday dramatically altered the course of events.According to sources, Gandhi reached out to an emotional Bondre and urged him not to give in to political pressure. “I know they are putting pressure on you so that you get scared and run away. Don’t be scared. I am with you,” Gandhi reportedly told him.The conversation had an immediate impact. Bondre assured Gandhi that he would remain loyal to the Congress.“Now, no matter what happens, I will stay with you,” Bondre said. “In recent months, I had been feeling somewhat lost and uncertain about many things. But your words have given me strength,” he reportedly told GandhiJust a day earlier, on Sunday, Bondre had publicly indicated that he was preparing to take a “different path”. Arrangements had reportedly been made in Mumbai for his formal induction into the BJP on Tuesday, with the event scheduled for 3.30 pm.After learning of Bondre’s decision to leave the party, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Harshwardhan Sapkal is said to have pressed the party’s central leadership to intervene. Sapkal, who also hails from Buldhana district, eventually succeeded in facilitating a conversation between Bondre and Gandhi through a WhatsApp group call that included another senior Congress leader.During the interaction, Gandhi urged Bondre to resist political pressure and remain committed to the party.“Don’t be scared. Don’t come under pressure. Mistakes happen, and we are with you. We understand everything and it will work out. You are a loyal Congress worker,” Gandhi told him. “They want you to leave so that the competition weakens and their people can occupy that space. Don’t get drawn into these things.,” Gandhi is reported to have told Bondre.Responding emotionally, Bondre said Gandhi had long been a source of inspiration for him. “Bhaiyya, I continued fighting against all odds because of the inspiration I drew from you,” he said. “But after electoral defeats and other setbacks, I became unsure about my future. The fact that you took notice of a worker like me has given me the courage to fight again,” he said.Responding to Bondre’s statement about losing polls, Gandhi said, “You cannot win without first losing. Victory does not come without defeat. That is illusion. That is a dream. This is the foundation. The foundation of victory is defeat itself.”Moved by the conversation, Bondre ultimately pledged to remain with the Congress regardless of the personal or political cost. “After receiving your call, I have made my decision,” he said. “Even if I have to give up everything, it does not matter. I will stand with you and remain part of this fight,” Bondre reportedly told Gandhi.
