Congress leader Rahul Gandhi feels that the recently concluded Bharat Jodo Yatra was like a 'tapasya', or penance, for him. He also spoke of wanting to have a family with kids. He made the revelations in a recent interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, in which he described his experiences during the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', shared his thoughts on India's political landscape, and candidly spoke about his family members.
In the excerpts of the interview published by Hindustan Times, Gandhi stated that the yatra was like a 'tapasya' (sacrifice) and taught him about the extraordinary resilience of Indians. When asked about the polarization between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi agreed that it existed, but emphasized that it was used as a tool to distract people from more pressing issues like poverty and inflation.
Gandhi also commented on the state of democracy in India, claiming that fascism is already present, with democratic structures collapsing, parliament no longer working, and justice not being independent. He spoke about the need for opposition unity to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and believed that the Opposition could win if it offered a vision of peace and unity.
On the topic of India-China relations, Gandhi suggested that peaceful competition was the way forward and that India could and should be competitive with China in low-value-added production. He also shared personal anecdotes about his family members, including his grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi revealed that his grandmother was his favourite and spoke of their close bond. He also shared that Rajiv Gandhi had a premonition about his death, feeling that a concentration of forces would cost him his life. Gandhi, however, denied being afraid for his life and stated that he does what he has to do.
In the interview, Gandhi also discussed his unmarried status at the age of 52. He expressed a desire to have kids but was not sure why he was still single. Although he avoided commenting on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he called for peaceful solutions.