In a rare speech, rare as people describe meeting him (in personal) as meeting a stone wall, Rahul Gandhi or RaGa touched on all notes of the political, social and economical state of the country. In his cryptic speech, he pushed through his ideas only to be inferred in leisure.
He touched on almost all the relevant issues starting from his prime ministership candidature to criticism of dynasty, Pakistan, China, BJP, Narendra Modi, economy, growth and corruption.
In his divinely bright kurta-pajama, the Gandhi scion smoked off the speculation of him becoming the PM saying that the question of he becoming PM is “irrelevant,” and he doesn't not want to be a hard-nosed politician.
Striding across the podium of CII AGM in Ashoka with unassumingly ease, he laughed away the dynasty issue saying that “It was an accident of fate” that he comes from the Congress' first family. Thumping a water bottle on the table he said, “It is in my DNA. I have been put in a situation.... Boss you have to do it.” And “boss” had the audience rolling. He often used that word as casually as a bunch of young guys chatting in office.
It was a peppered-sweet speech taking on all important issues in good or bad humor and certainly not in a coherent fashion. “We have to take everybody together. Our idea is so big that it can carry not only India but everyone else.” he said giving his vision of leadership, adding that “we have to talk to the even worst enemy.” -giving a dekko in his mind of Pakistan.
He also talked of Indo-China model despite his advisors telling him not to. He narrated an anecdote of meeting a Chinese official who asked Gandhi why the world was talking about China and not India. He said he turned the question back on her, who answered that China was more powerful than India. Using Ajay Shriram of DCM Shriram from the podium, Gandhi demonstrated how he answered back by squeezing his hand in an iron grip and saying, “This is how China applies its power.” Then he embraced the person and said, “This is how India applies its power.”
On Dragon versus Elephant, he said, “We're not an elephant. We're a beehive.” And the decentralized, complex and chaotic nature of Indian society is a strength, not a weakness.
In his trademark style, he took a potshot at Narendra Modi, saying that “The idea we love is of the guy on the horse. He is going to come charging through and everything in India will be alight”. Gandhi said that's wrong. No one alone, including himself, can do this and he wants to help the country move away from this idea and take everybody together to fight the odds out. “Give one individual all the power you want. Give him everything. He cannot solve the problems of a billion people,” Gandhi said.
NaMo, whom a section of society calls one man army to solve problems of this country will address Ficci on Monday and NaMo vis-a-vis RaGa will be watched with the excitement of India-Pakistan Match.
In fact, it looked that Gandhi will become more public as he concluded at the AGM that he enjoyed the conversation and will have more such interactions in future now.
Fulfilling the long-sought demand of opposition parties to hear him on the important national issues, he divulged his views on corruption too. He said that centralization of power is the main cause of corruption as the delivery chain gets longer and untraceable and ideas of the kind of Sam Pitroda and Nandan Nilekani can help check corruption through technology. No wonder, twice through the session he was addressed as Rajiv Gandhi by the speakers of the podium.
Gandhi also praised business fraternity and said that it has done a tremendous job in last few years and has been ambassador of growth outside the country. He told the industry that its economic vision must be more than money, it must be about compassion. Embracing the excluded is essential as the biggest danger is excluding people - women, the minorities, dalits, tribals. India will move forward with inclusive growth that embraces everyone. He was apparently taking shot at divisive politics of BJP, SP and BSP.
“When you play the politics of alienating communities, you stop the movement of people and ideas. When that happens we all suffer. Businesses suffer and the seeds of disharmony are sown and the dreams of our people are severely disrupted,” he said adding that anger, hatred and prejudice did not contribute to growth.
India had witnessed faster economic growth under the UPA because it had greatly lowered tensions among communities and fostered harmony. “World used to talk of Hindu rate of growth. Now the Hindu rate of growth is the European rate of growth,” he said with his oozing out pride.
The 75 minutes speech won him a standing ovation from a crowd of more than thousand delegates. No doubt he promised to return.