Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday reflected on his transformative experience during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and delved into the concept of Hindu spirituality and how it helped him get a new perspective on politics. During an interaction with students at the University of Texas in Dallas on Sunday, Gandhi also shared his perspective on the role of Opposition in Indian democracy and talked about the importance of transparency in leadership. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is on a four-day unofficial trip to the US.
Speaking on his own transformative journey during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said the pan-India march fundamentally changed the way he viewed politics and the people. "It wasn’t just me, many people were involved in the Yatra. For all of us, the most powerful thing that happened organically, something we didn’t even plan, was the introduction of the idea of love in politics... This is strange because if you look at political discourse in most countries, you’ll never find the word love. It simply doesn’t exist in that context. You’ll find hatred, anger, unfairness, corruption, all these words, but rarely the word 'love.' The Bharat Jodo Yatra actually introduced that idea into the Indian political system, and I’ve been amazed at how well that idea has worked," he said.
Gandhi likened his transformative journey during the 4,000-kilometre walk across India, to the concept of Lord Shiva, who destroys his ego and being to create a new perspective. “You know the idea of Shiva—when they say Shiva is the destroyer—what is he destroying? Himself. He’s destroying his ego, his structure, his beliefs. So, Indian political thought and action are all about going inward,” he said.
Gandhi's interaction at the University of Texas was part of his three-day outreach mission to the US, aimed at strengthening ties between India and the United States. During the event, he also reflected on the importance of strong Opposition in Indian politics and said, "Opposition at its heart is the voice of people, there is a whole sequence of events that go on, but what you generally think about is where and how can I raise the issues of the people of India. You are thinking from an individual perspective, and also from a group perspective, industry perspective, farmer perspective, the important thing is you do it sensitively and after listening and understanding carefully."
Talking about his role as Leader of the Opposition, Gandhi shared how he planned his day in Parliament to raise public welfare issues with the government. "You go to the Parliament in the morning, then it's like a war, you go in and then you fight, it's a pleasant war, it's reasonably fun at times, can be nasty also, but it's a war of ideas and words. You keep on meeting different people, different delegations, you are constantly listening to what they are saying," he said.
The Congress leader also spoke about the importance of transparency in leadership, using the concept of a 'Devta' (deity) to illustrate the idea. "Devta in India actually means a person whose internal feelings are exactly the same as his external expression, meaning he is a completely transparent being, it does not mean god," he explained.
"If a person tells me everything he believes or thinks and expresses it openly, that’s the definition of a Devta...What’s interesting about our politics is how do you suppress your own ideas, how do you suppress your own fears, greed, or ambitions and observe other people's fears and ambitions," Gandhi added.
He further pointed to the distinct approach of Indian leaders who challenged themselves rather than solely focusing on others and cited historical and mythological figures like Gautam Buddha, Lord Ram, and Mahatma Gandhi as examples of this extreme self-reflection. "Listening is much more important than speaking...Listening is fundamental to understanding people...You don’t raise every issue but focus on addressing the fundamental ones. You choose your battles much more carefully," he added.
During his US visit from September 8-10, Rahul Gandhi is set to engage in several discussions, including at Georgetown University and with members of the US Congress.