Congress President Rahul Gandhi believes this election is not a fight for power, but a fight for the soul of India itself. In an interview to The Telegraph, the Gandhi scion talked about nasty campaigns against the Congress, collapse of Opposition unity in big states like Uttar Pradesh and Bengal, and more.
‘Power Is Poison’
When asked if he is the same reluctant politician who declared “power is poison” many moons ago (2013 to be precise), at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session in Jaipur, Rahul Gandhi replied that there has been no change in his attitude to power.
“I believe that power is poison if it is wielded as a weapon over those that are less powerful; or if it is leveraged to gain personal wealth,” he said.
On The ‘Pappu’ Phase
There were many nasty campaigns against the Congress over the years. There were attempts to brand Rahul Gandhi as ‘pappu’, calls for Congress-mukt Bharat and cases against the party. How did the leader deal with these? “The abuses hurled at me come from a place of anger, hate and frustration. But I don’t believe in responding in the same coin,” Rahul said.
“You cannot combat anger with anger. In fact, I’m grateful to the PM for his constant abuse and taunts. They have taught me a lot, particularly patience. How can you hate anyone who teaches you something?” he added.
On Lok Sabha Polls
About the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi said it is not a fight for power, but a fight for the soul of India itself. “Apart from the pathetic state of the economy, the agrarian distress and the massive job crisis we are facing, our most cherished values – secularism, diversity and pluralism – are under attack,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi also said there is a systemic assault on our constitutional institutions like the Supreme Court, RBI and the CBI.
“Even reputable institutions that collect data and measure the performances of the various government schemes are being suppressed and dismantled,” Rahul Gandhi said. He also added that the content of textbooks children read is being rewritten to impose the RSS’s view of India on them.
“These are only a few examples of the dangerous path the RSS/BJP is taking us down, which will result in anarchy and chaos if they are voted back to power,” he said.
On Opposition Unity
The Congress was confident about an Opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi has publicly said that too. But both Bengal and UP have been disappointing when it comes to the same. What does he have to say about that?
“Bengal is complex. The logistics were difficult to overcome. In Uttar Pradesh, we were hopeful. But the SP-BSP felt they should go alone. Let’s see what happens now. If there were an alliance of SP-BSP-Congress, the consequences would have been devastating for the BJP. Either way, both these states will have secular parties winning,” he said.
When asked if Mayawati was under pressure to adopt an anti-Congress stance, Rahul replied that he doesn’t know. “I am unable to answer that question,” he said.
What about Bengal, where in spite of the Congress closely working with the Left for two-three years and Rahul having a perfect understanding with CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, the alliance did not work?
On The Not-So-Invincible Modi
Rahul Gandhi also said that he doesn’t believe Modi is invincible. “The people of India will defeat Modi, not me,” he said.
He listed the failures of the Modi government that will lead to his defeat.
“Three crore youngsters lost jobs in India… notebandi destroyed the economy. It proved to be an economic disaster and the PM does not want to accept there is a crisis,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi also talked about corruption under the Modi rule. Referring to the Rafale Deal, he said:
On Modi’s Promises
Rahul Gandhi also said that Modi’s promises were never meant to be implemented.
“They were meant to bring him to power. Modi is an instrument for a set of crony capitalists, and for them he is a very successful prime minister. As far as they are concerned, Modi waived Rs 3.5 lakh crore of the debt they owed to the country. But he didn’t help the farmers. For his friends, he did a great job. But he didn’t create jobs for the youth,” Rahul said.
Rahul Gandhi said there are many reasons for the anger of the people. “ Mr Modi is attempting to use hyper-nationalism to divert the attention of the people. But the people of India are not foolish. They can see through this game,” he said.
“It starts with the big promises Mr Modi made to win the elections in 2014: Rs 15 lakh in each bank account, the creation of two crore jobs a year, the doubling of farmer incomes, 150 smart cities etc,” Rahul added.
All the key promises made by Modi remain unfulfilled, said Rahul Gandhi. “And all the while, the government manipulates data and spends thousands of crores in advertising to convince India that all is well and that every Indian should be happy!” he added.
Rahul Gandhi talked about how unemployment is at a 45-year high.
On Congress’ Key Schemes
Rahul Gandhi said Minimum Income Guarantee and Women’s Reservation Bill are high on priority for the Congress. “Minimum income guarantee is the biggest. This has the potential to transform India by uprooting poverty. It’s an idea on an unimaginable scale that has never been implemented anywhere in the world before,” he said.
“In addition, we will be passing the Women’s Reservation Bill, reserving 33 percent of government jobs for women, increasing the expenditure on education to 6 percent of the GDP,” he added.
On ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’
On BJP’s ‘Killer Instincts’
BJP is said to have a killer instinct, to be able to win states like Haryana and Tripura out of nowhere and dream up a coup in West Bengal. How does Rahul Gandhi respond to allegations that ‘Congress doesn’t have such an energy and passion’?
“You are absolutely right when you refer to them as possessing a ‘killer instinct’. They do not care about democratic processes or the voice of the people, only about forming governments and grabbing power, no matter how dishonestly they acquire it,” he said.
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