Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, spoke candidly about his experiences during the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” in a rare interview with the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera. He also discussed how BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could lose the next election, recalled happy times spent with his father Rajiv and grandmother Indira Gandhi, and explained why he was still single at the age of 52.
Gandhi asserted that the journey was more akin to a “Tapasya,” sharing the insights the Congress leader obtained after the yatra was over (sacrifice).
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Gandhi acknowledged that there was polarization between Hindus and Muslims when asked about it, but he emphasized that the circumstances were not as bad as the media and the government had made them out to be. Instead, he said, the polarization was more of a tool to divert attention from more serious problems like “poverty, lack of education, currency devaluation, the post-covid crisis of small, indebted business owners and landless farmers.”
When asked about fascism and India, Gandhi responded, “Fascism is already there. Democratic institutions fail. Parliament is not currently in session. For the past two years, I haven’t been able to talk since they always take away my microphone when I do. There is an imbalance of power. Justice is not autonomous. Centralism is unwavering. There is no longer a free press.”
The Congress leader expressed confidence in the Opposition’s unity in response to a query on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi might be ousted in the upcoming election, claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party would be completely crushed if the other parties banded together.
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“There is no doubt that PM Modi and BJP can be defeated. If you disagree with a vision of peace and unity that is unrelated to either the right or the left. By providing an alternative, fascism can be defeated”. Rahul asserts that “we can win if two competing visions of India are pitted against one another during the voting.”
He refrained from discussing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, claiming that it was a question of foreign policy, but he nonetheless urged for “peaceful solutions.”
