Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot on Sunday said he sees Rahul Gandhi as a leader who will lead the country in future and the entire Opposition will stand unitedly behind him when the next Lok Sabha elections happen.

In an interview with PTI, Pilot said Gandhi, following the historic Bharat Jodo Yatras and a good result for the Congress, has taken the Centre to task with the BJP-led government “failing on all fronts”.

Asked about the impact of Gandhi assuming the charge of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Pilot said, “Rahul Gandhi has led from the front as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He is asking pertinent questions for which the government has no answers.” He is not just the LoP for the Congress but for the entire Opposition, he added.

“It is a constitutional position that comes with a lot of responsibility. Gandhi has been very vociferous in raising issues that matter to the people and the government has been caught on the backfoot because they don’t know how to respond. They are forced to take U-turns as the government is not able to provide satisfactory answers,” the former Union Minister said.

The government is proposing agendas and withdrawing agendas, he said, alleging that the BJP-led government at the Centre is “failing on all fronts”.

“Of course, we all see him as a leader who will lead the country and when the next elections happen, the people of India and the entire opposition will stand unitedly behind Rahul Gandhi,” Pilot said.

He said the government has had to take steps back since the Lok Sabha polls, be it the issue of lateral entry in the civil services or the Waqf board bill.

There was a sense of arrogance and domination with which the central government operated for the last 10 years, but now there is a huge change and people of India have given a stern and sobering message in this general election, the former Union leader said.

People have more faith in the Opposition than in the incumbent government and the BJP realises that, the 47-year-old leader said.

“In Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, we will have a resounding victory and the next two states that follow — Maharashtra and Jharkhand — the INDIA bloc is very strongly placed,” he said.

Gandhi, who has been an MP for five terms and currently represents the Rae Bareli constituency previously held by his mother Sonia Gandhi, assumed the mantle of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha in June after the general elections.

He won from two constituencies in the polls but vacated the Wayanad seat in Kerala, from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest a bypoll.

Gandhi entered the Lok Sabha for the first time in 2004 following his victory from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday expressed his sorrow over the death of 9 persons after a horrific collision between a truck and a passenger bus in Maihar district late last night.

According to police, nearly 20 persons were also injured after the bus rammed into a stationary stone-laden truck in Maihar at around 11 pm on Saturday.

The Chief Minister said that the news of untimely death of 10 passengers due to a horrific collision between a truck and a passenger bus of Uttar Pradesh in Maihar district of Madhya Pradesh is extremely sad and heart-rending.

In a post on X, he said, “I pray to Baba Mahakal to give place to the holy souls of the deceased in his lotus feet and for the speedy recovery of the injured. We are all with the bereaved families in this hour of grief.”

Meanwhile, in another post on X, he said: “In this horrific road accident, 9 passengers have been confirmed dead while one is in a very critical condition. Most of the passengers are from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. I pray to Almighty God that all the injured get quick recovery.”

CM Yadav has directed the district administration to provide proper treatment to the injured and said the families of the deceased will be provided financial assistance by the government as per rules.

The accident took place on National Highway number 30, about 25 km from the district headquarters, as per police.

The bus was heading for Nagpur via Rewa after starting from Prayagraj when it crashed near the Nadan Dehat police station, Maihar Superintendent of Police (SP) Sudhir Agrawal told PTI.

While six fatalities were reported earlier, three more persons succumbed to injuries in a hospital, taking the death toll to nine, he said.

The deceased, all male, included a four-year-old boy, the police said. The injured persons have been admitted to different hospitals, including in Rewa, Agrawal said.

Rescue teams had to use a gas cutter and an excavator machine to make way through the wrecked bus to pull out the passengers, he said.

The rescue operation was wrapped up at around 2 am on Sunday, according to police.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Sunday that his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’ has shown that people like positive developments and inspiring and encouraging stories.

Speaking in the latest radio program episode where he touches social issues and highlights people’s efforts for a cause in different parts of the country, he noted that the broadcast is completing 10 years.

Describing it as an “emotional” episode, he said the programme has become a unique platform that celebrates India’s spirit and showcases the nation’s collective strength.

He also thanked the media for taking its message to people. Modi said there is generally a perception that people don’t pay attention if the content is not spicy or negative.

However, ‘Mann Ki Baat’ has shown that they are eager for positive information. People like positive things, inspiring examples and encouraging stories, he noted.

Modi said the ‘Make in India’ programme is completing its 10 years, asserting that export is rising in every sector and the rise in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a testimony to its success. It has helped local manufacturers a lot, he added. He urged people to buy ‘Made in India’ products in the coming festival season.

Referring to his recent visit to the US, Modi said the return of nearly 300 antiquities to India is being widely talked about. When people start taking pride in their heritage, the world also respects their sentiments, he said, asserting that a large number of ancient artefacts have been returned to India by different countries in the last 10 years of his government.

In the programme, he highlighted the success of the ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission, lauding it as a great tribute to Mahatma Gandhi who put special emphasis on cleanliness all his life.

“On the 2nd of October, the Swachh Bharat Mission is completing 10 years. This is an occasion to commend those who turned it into a mass movement. It is also a befitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, who dedicated his entire life to this cause,” he said.

Gandhi’s birth anniversary falls on October 2. “Reduce, reuse and recycle” is being now talked about, he said.

With India witnessing copious rains in the monsoon season, Modi made a mention of efforts being made in different parts of the country to conserve water and lauded the exercise.