New Delhi [India], March 6 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday opened up on his recent ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra‘, a foot march spread over several months and straddling several states, saying that it afforded him an opportunity to connect with the people at a personal level. The Congress Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad in Kerala was accorded a civic reception at the Grand Committee Room of the Palace of Westminster on Monday.
The Congress MP said there’s been a ‘fundamental shift’ in the way he listens to people these days. “There has been a fundamental shift in the way I listen to people. This started at the beginning of the yatra. By the end of the yatra, I came to this realisation that my way of listening had fundamentally changed. It was a personal thing and I found it quite interesting,” Rahul said.
He said marching over 4,000 kms made him more patient and also enabled him to take criticisms and brickbats that come his way. “Walking over 4,000 kms brings a semblance of patience into one’s being. Hence, I see myself as much more patient. I don’t get excited and can take quite a lot of punishment,” the Congress MP said.
Addressing the event, the Congress leader said the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra‘ stood out in the way, it allowed him to reach out and freely interact with the people. Rahul added that the informal nature of his public interactions during the ‘Bharat Jodo’ campaign was the standout feature of the event. “….you are not talking down to people, you are not talking from a stage. You are actually talking with them,” the Congress MP said at the event.
The foot march, which began on September 7, last year, saw several political leaders, both from the Congress as well as other Opposition parties, match steps with Rahul. The yatra, which kicked off in Kanyakumari in the country’s southern tip, culminated in the icy chill of Srinagar earlier this year. The Congress MP raised the Tricolour at the iconic Lal Chowk of Srinagar, bringing the months-long foot march to a close.
The march, which according to the Congress was the longest undertaken by any political leader in independent India, received support from several Opposition parties and social organisations in the state.
Earlier, speaking at the prestigious Cambridge University, Rahul laid into the BJP-led government at the Centre claiming that democracy was under threat under the present dispensation. Firing a fresh snooping charge at the Centre, he claimed that advanced Israeli spyware ‘Pegasus’ was being used to listen in to his private telephonic conversations. The BJP dismissed the charges and accused the Congress leader of defaming the country and the government on foreign soil. (ANI)
RSS a “fundamentalist”, “fascist” organisation, captured all of India’s institutions: Rahul Gandhi in London
New Delhi [India], March 7 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in an interaction at the Chatham House in London termed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a “fundamentalist” and “fascist” organisation alleging that it has captured pretty much all of India’s institutions.
Rahul Gandhi said, “The nature of democratic contest in India has completely changed and the reason is that one organisation called RSS – a fundamentalist, fascist organisation has basically captured pretty much all of India’s institutions.” The Congress MP highlighted the condition of the Dalits and minorities in India.
He said, “In India, you can see what is being done to Dalits, tribals, and minorities. It is not that Congress is saying it. There are articles in the foreign press all the time that there is a serious problem with Indian democracy.”
The Congress leader also mentioned how the various institutions in the country were under threat. “It shocked me how successful they have been at capturing the different institutions of our country. Press, Judiciary, Parliament, and Election Commission are all under threat and are controlled in one way or the other,” Rahul Gandhi said. “You can ask any Opposition leader as to how agencies are used. My phone had Pegasus on it, which was not happening when we were in power,” he added.
Notably, the Congress leader launched a scathing attack at the Centre during a lecture at Cambridge University, alleging that an attack has been unleashed on the basic structure of Indian democracy while also claiming that Israeli spyware Pegasus was being used to snoop on his phone.
Rahul claimed that he had been warned by the intelligence officers to be “careful” while speaking on the phone as his calls were being recorded. “I myself had Pegasus on my phone. A large number of politicians had Pegasus on their phones. I have been called by intelligence officers who told me, ‘Please be careful about what you are saying on the phone because we are sort of recording the stuff’. So this is the constant pressure that we feel. Cases on the opposition. I have got a number of criminal liable cases for things that should under no circumstances be criminal liable cases. That’s what we are trying to defend,” the Congress leader said in his address. (ANI)
Chinese troops on Ladakh, Arunachal borders similar to what is happening in Ukraine: Rahul Gandhi in London
New Delhi [India], March 7 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in an interaction at the Chatham House in London said that the basic idea behind the Chinese troops on the Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh borders is similar to what is happening in Ukraine, adding that he mentioned this to Foreign Minister S Jaishankar but he disagreed terming it a “ludicrous idea”.
He said, “In my view, the basic idea behind the troops in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh is similar to what is happening in Ukraine. I mentioned this to the Foreign Minister (S Jaishankar) but he completely disagrees with me and thinks it is a ludicrous idea.”
Comparing the Indian borders to that of Ukraine, the Congress leader said, “The basic principle that has been applied in Ukraine is that Russia has told Ukraine that we do not accept your relationship with Europe and America and if you do not change this relationship, we will challenge your territorial integrity.”
“I think this is what is happening on the borders of my country. China doesn’t want us to have a relationship with the US. It is threatening us by saying if you continue to have a relationship then we’ll take action. That is why they have got troops in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh,” Rahul Gandhi added. (ANI)
