Rahul Gandhi speaks on dynasty criticism by BJP
(Sourced from PTI)
Responding to criticism over dynastic politics, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said it has been over 30 years that a member of his family was prime minister, and asserted he would not stop fighting for his ideological view because he is the son of an ex-PM. In a discussion with University of Chicago Professor Dipesh Chakrabarty, Gandhi said trolls are almost a guide.
The Congress leader said a battle of ideas is going on. "Trolls sharpen my senses about what I have to do. They tell me where I have to go and what I have to stand for. So it's a refinement, it's an evolution," Gandhi said.
Chakrabarty asked Gandhi that as someone who belongs to the dynasty, how does he relate to the connection made between the dynasty and the decline of Congress. Gandhi replied, "The last time a member of my family was prime minister was about 30 years ago." Gandhi's father Rajiv Gandhi was the last from the family to hold the post of prime minister from 1984-89.
"No member of my family was in the UPA Government. I do have an ideological view. I fight for certain ideas. It doesn't matter who my father was. These are the ideas that I consider valuable, and I'm going to fight for them," Gandhi said.
The MP from Wayanad talked about the UPA Government losing popularity, saying that for big systems like India, one has to provide a vision for a certain period of time. "In 2004, we gave a vision designed to pull a large number of people out of poverty," Gandhi said. The vision ran out of its course in 2012 and a new vision was needed.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi came with a new vision. The result of that vision is a disaster," Gandhi said. Noting that 10 years is a long time for a government in India, he noted that some mistakes were made on their part.
During the discussion, Gandhi slammed the Centre over the three farm laws and said the government needs to back down. If not resolved, the agitation would spread and would not be good. "Agricultural reform is required, but the destruction of the agriculture system is not acceptable. The bills need to be withdrawn and a fresh discussion should be initiated in the Parliament," he said.
