Rahul Gandhi’s short speaking tour of the US has not made much waves beyond the Indian diaspora in the US, but in India it has generated a Tsunami of debates and controversies, in mainstream as well social media. No one seems to be interested in deliberating or discussing his ideas. His opponents are determined to malign and attack him and portray him as a traitor and his supporters are determined to defend him. Rahul Gandhi has some interesting ideas and right or wrong they deserve a fair hearing and discussion. In this essay we aim to do just that. We listened to him with a view to understand him and his vision, with no desire to look for misspoken or misarticulated ideas to attack him with. Based on that approach we summarize his key ideas presented in Dallas and Washington DC.
How He Connected with India
One theme that was repeatedly discussed both in Dallas and in DC, was his 4000 km pada yatra in Gandhian style journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. His message was clear. BJP sympathizers dominate state and civil society institutions including the media and have made it impossible for opposition leaders to bring their message to the people. Gandhi pointed out how there was no level playing field in Indian democracy since his party had to contest elections while their bank accounts were frozen and some key allies were jailed. In an atmosphere like that he had no alternative but to go to the people directly. And hence the two journeys.
The Yatras allowed him to take his message to the people but more importantly it allowed the people to share their views, their dreams, their aspirations with him and eventually he bonded with the people in such a way that when he spoke, he spoke in their voice and in their words. The Yatras were transformative, they made him a better leader and it showed. He was more confident, more grounded, and more thoughtful in his answers than during his earlier US visit in June 2023.
How is INDIA Alliance Different from RSS/BJP
Unlike most other leaders in his alliance, Rahul Gandhi stand alone in his vocal criticism of RSS/BJP and their Hindutva ideology. He once again made the point that India was experiencing an ideological struggle between two national visions. The BJP and RSS were essentially pushing a Hindutva agenda, which when completed, would impose one way of thinking about India and would oppress minorities, curtail their freedom to practice their faith and keep people of lower caste marginalized. He on the other hand was countering that vision with a vision of democracy and pluralism that not only tolerated multiple imaginations of India and was inclusive regardless of religion, caste or class.
Gandhi reminded us that India is a union of states like the US. We think he emphasizes this to make the point that under BJP India was becoming a highly centralized state with concentration of power not just in the capital but perhaps in the hands of one individual, undermining India’s federalism and the autonomy of Indian states. Gandhi obviously thinks that decentralization and allowing states to find their own paths to development is a better model for growth.
Why India Needs a Different Production Model
India’s economic development and unemployment was a recurring theme during his visit. Gandhi has a very particular macroeconomic view that deserves a discussion at the national level. He is clear that the unemployment problem cannot be solved without a boom in manufacturing. He thinks of service industries as “organizing consumption” and not really productive. We are not sure that he is right. Services contribute to about 57% of India’s GDP and over 70% of US GDP. Manufacturing is 17% of Indian GDP but only 10% of US GDP, yet the US does not have the problem of unemployment that India has.
Nevertheless, he feels that because India is a democracy, India cannot replicate the Chinese production model which comes from an authoritarian system. He says that that large scale manufacturing may work for China but not India. He wants the US and India to collaborate on developing a manufacturing model based on democratic values that can compete with China. He feels that the way to do this is through empowering existing small and medium-sized industries with infusion of technology and capital.
Why India Needs and Inclusion Revolution
Rahul Gandhi’s views on caste and reservations have been grossly misinterpreted and used for gaslighting by none other than the Home Minister of India. Gandhi was clear that in all positions of governance, in private sector (CEOs of major firms) or in public sector (Senior Secretaries in bureaucracies), or in media (prominent anchors on television shows) people belonging to lower castes and minorities were grossly underrepresented. He said that 90% of Indians come from tribal groups, lower castes, Dalits and religious minorities.
In order to ascertain the extent to which these groups were under represented, he wanted a caste-census. He opined that when this social justice issue of fairness in society was fully addressed, only then could one think of ending reservations. But the thrust of his arguments is clear. The Hindutva agenda privileges the upper castes and a caste census would lay that bare. In fact, there might be calls for more reservation not less after the caste-census. Gandhi feels that caste-based discrimination was a fundamental issue and needs to be addressed.
Final Thoughts
Rahul Gandhi has an alternate vision for India and it is beginning to resonate. The success of his Yatras, the electoral success of the INDIA alliance (despite funds being frozen and pro BJP media bias), the enthusiasm and fondness with which he was received by thousands of Indian Americans, has sent a wave of paranoia through the ranks of the BJP. Most of the attacks on him are based on deliberate distortion of his statements. It shows that BJP now sees Rahul Gandhi as a serious threat to their political hegemony, and more importantly, to their Hindutva agenda. Gandhi made a lot of critical comments, but they were not critical of India, they were critical of BJP and RSS and the direction in which they were taking India.
Our take away after listening to Rahul Gandhi with an empathetic ear is simple – he has an alternate vision for India that deserves the attention and consideration of all who wish to see a peaceful and prosperous India that is also a force for good in the world.
Source: Modern Diplomacy
Note: Shafaqna do not endorse the views expressed in the article