Rahul Gandhi kicked off his Gujarat polls campaign on Monday with a speech in Hindi. While PM Modi has been addressing the public at all rallies in his mother tongue Gujarati, Rahul Gandhi sought to connect with the crowd in Surat using Barat Sinh Solanki as a translator. However, midway through the speech, Solanki stops and asks Rahul Gandhi to continue as the crowd could very well understand Hindi.
The incident can be seen 38 minutes into the video that the Congress tweeted.
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Solanki tells Gandhi: "Aap Hindi mein bolenge to chalega (It would be ok if you continued in Hindi). They can understand your Hindi," and turns around to take his seat. To this, Rahul Gandhi says: "[Translate] Nahi karna chahte? Thik hai. You don't want to translate? Ok."
However, Congress leaders on stage gesture Solanki to continue to translate. This leaves Solanki visibly confused as he appears to be torn between taking the microphone and his seat.
Rahul Gandhi was sharing an anecdote on his grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, giving him a picture book on adivasis when he was six years old.
Hitting out at the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said that the BJP was helping industrialists usurp lands that belong to the tribal communities. "The BJP calls adivasis, vanvasis. Adivasi means the first resident. This is your country. But right now, your lands are being handed over to industrialists," he sought to tell the tribal community in Surat.