Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, stated that the ‘political tools’ that “worked 10 years ago, simply do not work anymore.” He claimed “the old politician is dead and a new kind of politician has to be constructed.”
Addressing the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha further added that he led his Bharat Jodo Yatra as the Congress was “not allowed” to operate the way they wanted and that it felt “completely trapped and isolated”.
Launched by the Congress party in September 2022, Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was a 4,000-kilometre march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. The yatra served as a major political outreach for Rahul Gandhi, and was aimed at addressing issues like unemployment, inflation, and social harmony.
What Rahul Gandhi said
Referring to the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi said:
“Some years ago, we in the Congress party felt completely trapped and isolated. This new politics, aggressive politics, where the Opposition is not talked to, but the idea is to crush the Opposition, we found that all our avenues were compromised, the media, the general atmosphere, did not allow us to operate the way we wanted, so we reached back into history, and decided to walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir,” reported ANI.
The Congress leader also added that democratic politics has changed over the past 10 years and that the ‘tools that worked back then wouldn’t anymore.’
The old politician is dead and a new kind of politician has to be constructed.
Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the slogan from the Bharat Jodo Yatra, “Nafrath ke bazar mein mohabbat ka dukaan” (A shop of love in a market of hatred), has resonated powerfully across India.
Bharat Summit in Hyderabad
The Bharat Summit, hosted by the Government of Telangana, was a major international conference that attracted over 450 delegates from more than 100 countries.
Among the attendees were representatives from nearly 100 political parties, 40–50 ministers, and around 50 senators and members of parliament, mentioned a report by Deccan Herald.
