Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi reached Dallas, Texas on Sunday as part of his three-day US visit. Here he discussed Indian politics, economy and Bharat Jodo Yatra with the students of University of Texas. Rahul Gandhi said that there is an atmosphere of hatred in Indian politics, but the politics of love and brotherhood started through Bharat Jodo Yatra. He also described the problem of employment in India as a major issue and said that the reason for this is that the country did not pay attention to production.
Giving the example of China, Rahul Gandhi said, “China has focused on production in its country, so there is no problem of employment there. Most of the things in India are ‘Made in China’. This policy of China makes it successful in providing employment.” He also raised questions on the loan waiver of big businessmen by Indian banks. Rahul Gandhi said, “In India, bank loans of Rs 16 lakh crore of 25 people were waived off. Many industries could have been set up with this much money, but when we talk of loan waiver, the media questions us. Whereas, when Rs 16 lakh crore is waived off, no questions are raised.”
The unemployment problem is serious in many parts of the world
Rahul Gandhi said that the problem of unemployment is serious in many parts of the world, especially in Western countries and India. But there are some countries where this problem does not exist. Countries like China and Vietnam are certainly not facing this challenge. One of the main reasons for this is the centralization of production. If we look at America in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, it was the center of global production. At that time, every item, be it a car, washing machine or TV, was made in America. But gradually the production shifted from America to Korea, Japan and then finally to China.
China ahead in global production: Rahul Gandhi
Today, China is at the forefront of global production. The US, Europe and India have abandoned the idea of production and handed it over to China. The act of production generates employment, but now Western countries and India are focusing only on organising consumption. India needs to re-understand the idea of production.
It is not acceptable for India to say that manufacturing, which we call production, should be only for China, Vietnam or Bangladesh. We have to bring production back into the democratic system. Until we do so, we will continue to face the problem of unemployment, and this is not sustainable in the long term. If we continue to ignore the importance of production, major social crises can emerge in India, America and Europe. The polarization in today’s politics is also a result of this problem.
Rahul Gandhi also spoke on poverty and manufacturing
Responding to a question on poverty in India, Rahul Gandhi said that only a few selected people are given big projects and defence contracts. He said, “All the ports and defence contracts are being handed over to only one or two people, due to which the condition of the manufacturing sector in India is bad.”
Told Parliament to be a battlefield of ideas
During the interaction with the students, Rahul Gandhi stressed on the role of the opposition in Parliament and the importance of listening in politics. He said, “Listening is more important than speaking, because by listening you understand people better. It is not necessary to raise every issue, but we should focus on those basic issues which affect the lives of the people.”
While discussing the responsibilities of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi said, “The opposition is the voice of the people. It is your responsibility to thoughtfully raise issues that are important for the people of India. You have to do this work not only from an individual point of view but also from the point of view of groups like industries and farmers.”
Referring to the functioning of Parliament, he said, “When you reach Parliament, it is like a battlefield where you fight a battle of ideas and words. But the most important thing is that all this should be done with understanding and sensitivity.”
Why was Bharat Jodo Yatra taken out… Rahul Gandhi told
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, while revealing the reason behind the start of Bharat Jodo Yatra, said that all channels of communication in the country had been closed. He said, “The first question is why did I travel 4,000 km? Why was it needed? The reason for this was that all channels of communication in India had been closed. We tried to speak in Parliament, but it was not broadcast. We contacted the media, but they did not pick up our issue. We also submitted documents to legal institutions, but there was no result.”
Rahul Gandhi said that when roads were closed everywhere, he could not understand how to reach the public. Then suddenly he got the idea that if media and institutions are not able to become a medium to connect with the public, then he will have to go directly to the public. The best way to do this was to travel on foot across the country, and this is what he did.
I had pain in my knees at the beginning of my journey: Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi said that he had a knee problem at the beginning of the journey. “In the first 3-4 days I thought, ‘What have I done?’ Because getting up in the morning and running 10 kilometers is one thing, but talking about running 4,000 kilometers is a completely different thought.” However, he said that the journey completely changed the way he works. “It changed the way I understand politics and communicate with people. This journey taught me how important it is to listen to people and connect with them directly.”
He said the most important and unexpected thing during the yatra was that the idea of love in politics came up on its own, which was not planned in advance. “It is strange because if you look at world politics, the word ‘mohabbat’ is rarely seen there. Words like hate, anger, injustice, corruption are found, but ‘mohabbat’ is not found in the context of politics. Bharat Jodo Yatra brought this idea to Indian politics, and I am amazed to see how well this idea is working.”
According to Rahul Gandhi, the Bharat Jodo Yatra not only added love to the political dialogue but also changed the way he interacted with the people of the country.
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