By Ashima Makhija
On Tuesday, Congress Vice President, Rahul Gandhi, addressed the students of the University of California, Berkeley on India at 70. His speech focused on the dynasty politics in India, the Modi governments failures, the violent and intolerant society taking shape in India, and above all, a reflection on contemporary India, and the path forward for the worlds largest democracy.
By emphasising on sensitive issues like Kashmir, rising cow vigilance, raging Hindutva, and the resultant disappearance of an inclusive India, Rahul seems to have won a considerable victory in the world of verbal wars. The bold speech, that has already triggered a caustic war between BJP and Congress, has given the people a reason to hope for a resurrection of responsible leadership in Congress, and even for a mild chance of RaGa actually rising to become a national leader.
Will Congress finally capitalise?
Political analysts in the country have often described how the dramatic rise of BJP can be attributed to not only the dynamic Modi-Shah duo, but also to the failure of the Opposition in offering an effective alternative to the ruling party. In this sense, Tuesday was a god-sent opportunity for the Gandhi scion. Growth rates had fallen in the previous two quarters, demonetisation didnt pan out the way the Prime Minister had envisioned it would, retail inflation had risen to a five-month high in August, and India hadnt exactly been a paradise for free speech and liberty over the past few years. Rahuls speech reflected considerable success in capitalising on some of these issues.
Economic policies
Targeting Modis economic policies, particularly demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Rahul said, Ignoring India’s tremendous institutional knowledge and taking such decisions is reckless and dangerous.” Indias job market was also brought under the lens of scrutiny. He said that 30,000 new youngsters were joining the job market every single day, whereas the government was only creating 500 jobs a day. He contended that economic growth serves little purpose without employment creation and India, unlike China, has to create jobs in a democratic setting.
Rising intolerance
The growing intolerance in the Indian society, and in politics, has often found a direct correlation with the rise of BJP and RSS-ideologies. He spoke of how Ahimsa, solidarity, and unity, in the vibrant background of the plurality of the Indian society, had led to the rise of the united mass of Indian people. He slammed the BJP-led central government for mob lynching and cow vigilantism that has unleashed violence in India. He said, Hatred, anger and violence can destroy us, the politics of polarisation is dangerous. These incidents are making millions feel that they have no future in their country.
Dynasty Politics
Rahul attempted to answer the question of nepotism in Congress, which has become a gigantic boulder in the path of party progress. The voters view Rahul Gandhi as the inheritor of the heirlooms of the Congress party, and the BJP has constantly criticised the Congress party for its lack of meritocracy. Rahul expressed strong defence of being a political dynast and showed a seeming comfort with what he had earlier seen as an insinuation. This marks a shift in his position on an issue that rivals have used to beat him with, for over a decade. He argued that dynasty politics is an inherent component of Indian politics. Akhilesh Yadav, (M K) Stalin, Anurag Thakur, and even Abhishek Bachchan are all dynasts. Critics have pointed out the futility of the argument, and have contended that his comparison of dynasts will not bring him closer to the voters.
A step in the right direction?
He is here at the University of California, Berkley, where Pandit (Jawaharlal Nehru) addressed in 1949 as the Prime Minister. Today, we are at the crossroads where core values of Indian democracy, secularism, and pluralistic society are in danger,” Congress spokesman, Madhu Goud Yaskhi, said. Liberal journalists are being shot, Muslims are being killed on the suspicion of eating beef, and Dalits are being lynchedindeed, India is at a crossroads where fundamental constitutional rights and the principles of equality and secularism stand threatened. A single speech by Rahul Gandhi cannot be expected to change the face and impression of the Opposition but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
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