Rahul: I’ll fight for you
Congress No. 2 says party and the people are his life
In his maiden speech as Congress vice-president, Rahul Gandhi struck an emotional chord with delegates at the Jaipur conclave that included his mother, party chief Sonia Gandhi, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as he spoke from the heart on the ills that afflict the party and the people of India.
“The Congress is my life, the people of India are my life... I will fight for the people and the party, I’ll fight with everything I have,” he told delegates, who responded with a standing ovation in the middle of his speech as he declared: “We shouldn’t chase power, only use it to empower others.”
Mr Gandhi’s 40-minute Sunday address was the highlight of the two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ and one-day AICC meeting, with Mrs Gandhi’s concluding speech over in a few minutes after her son spoke. It was also a clear pointer that he will play a bigger role in running the party and leading the Congress for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Power, he said, was “far too centralised” in India and young people felt alienated from the system.
Newly-appointed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday pointed out that a handful of people control the political space and power is highly centralised.
In his 40-minute speech at the Congress’ Chintan Shivir here, Mr Gandhi asked, “Why are people angry?”.
“They are angry because they are alienated from the political class. They watch the powerful drive in lal battis (cars with red beacons). We need to meet their urgent demand for jobs,” he said.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi keenly watched her son speak, becoming emotional at some points, with Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit seen comforting her. After the speech, Rahul hugged his mother and later Dr Manmohan Singh.
He also became emotional again as he recalled the moment his mother walked into his room on Saturday night after he had become vice president. “Last night each one of you congratulated me. My mother came to my room and she sat with me and she cried... Because she understands the power so many people seek is actually a poison... He said his mother could see power is poison because she is not attached to it.”