Rahul Gandhi in Texas: Bharat Jodo Yatra introduced love in politics

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, engaged with students at the University of Texas, Dallas, during his visit to the United States. He discussed the transformative impact of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and its role in introducing the concept of love into Indian politics.

Bharat Jodo Yatra Introduced Love in Politics

Speaking passionately about the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi stated, "The Bharat Jodo Yatra introduced the idea of love in politics." He highlighted how this concept is often absent in political discourse globally. "In the political discourse in most countries, you will never find the word 'love'... You'll find hatred, anger, unfairness, corruption... and the Bharat Jodo Yatra actually introduced that idea into the Indian political system, and it has amazed me how that idea has worked," he said.

Reasons behind conducting the yatra

Gandhi elaborated on the motivations for undertaking the extensive yatra across India. "The reason behind conducting Bharat Jodo Yatra is that all avenues of communication in India were shut. No matter what we did, it was all shut," he explained. Traditional platforms like parliament and media were inaccessible or ineffective. "We spoke in parliament. That's not televised. We go to the media, they don't pick up what we say. We even go with documents to the legal system, nothing happens," he added. This communication blockade led to the decision to directly engage with the populace by walking across the country. "It fundamentally changed the way I think about my work... how I view politics, our people, how I communicate, how I listen," Gandhi reflected.

Reimagining production in India

Addressing economic concerns, Gandhi emphasized the need for India to rethink its approach to production and manufacturing. "India has to think about the act of production and organizing production. It's not acceptable that India simply says, manufacturing or production is going to be the reserve of the Chinese... or Vietnamese... or Bangladeshis," he asserted. He pointed out that Bangladesh outperforms India in textiles, signaling a need for change. "We have to reimagine how to produce in a democratic environment. Until we do that, we will face high levels of unemployment. And frankly, it's not sustainable," he warned.

The employment challenge and global comparisons

Discussing the global landscape of employment, Gandhi noted that not all countries face unemployment issues. "China... and Vietnam doesn't have an employment problem. So there are places on the planet that are not struggling with unemployment. There's a reason," he said. He contrasted this with the situation in India and the West, attributing political polarization to employment challenges. "The act of production creates jobs. What we do, Americans do, the West does, is organize consumption," he observed. Gandhi stressed the importance of production-focused companies like Foxconn, Mahindra, and Bajaj in job creation.

Rahul Gandhi's insights at the University of Texas highlighted the transformative power of direct engagement with citizens and the introduction of empathy in politics. His emphasis on reimagining India's production capabilities underscores a critical pathway toward addressing unemployment and reducing social polarization.