Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 26 (ANI):
Highlighting a profound shift in the global political landscape, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has emphasized the need to counter the spread of hatred through love and connection. Speaking at the Bharat Summit 2025 in Hyderabad on Saturday, Gandhi reflected on the challenges faced by his party and his personal transformation during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Addressing the summit, Gandhi recalled a period when the Congress Party felt “trapped and isolated” amid a rising wave of aggressive politics designed to “crush the opposition.”
He noted that, in response, the party chose to embark on the Bharat Jodo Yatra as a means to reconnect with the people after traditional avenues of communication were compromised.
Rahul Gandhi, who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said that democratic politics has fundamentally changed across the world.
“Democratic politics has fundamentally changed across the globe. The rules that were applied a decade ago simply do not apply anymore. They cannot withstand the concentration of capital and the influence of modern social media. In a sense, the old politician is dead, and a new type of politician must be constructed. What does this new politics look like?” he asked.
Gandhi elaborated on the decision behind the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“Some years ago, we in the Congress Party felt completely trapped and isolated. This new aggressive politics — where the opposition is not engaged with but instead crushed — left us with no functioning avenues. The media and the general atmosphere did not allow us to operate as we wished. So, we reached back into our history and decided to walk from Kanyakumari, the southernmost part of India, all the way to Kashmir. It was no small journey — approximately 4,000 kilometers,” he explained.
Reflecting on his experiences during the Yatra, Gandhi said he learned two critical lessons.
“First, our opponents around the world monopolize anger, fear, and hatred. We will never be able to defeat them on those grounds; they will always have the upper hand. The real question is: where do we operate from? Where do we have an advantage? Where can we build a counter-narrative?” he said.
Gandhi shared that as the Yatra progressed, an increasing number of people joined him, which led to a pivotal shift in his approach.
“Politicians are trained to talk on stage, but as I walked, the sheer number of people made it impossible to simply talk. I started to listen. Halfway through, I realized that I had never truly listened before. In fact, I did not know how to listen,” he admitted.
He recounted a poignant encounter during the Yatra.
“A woman came running toward me, held my hand, and I immediately sensed her fear. She told me that her husband was beating her, but she wanted to join the Yatra. When I asked her what I could do, she said nothing — she just wanted me to know. In that moment, she conveyed to me the silent suffering that millions of women endure,” he shared.
Gandhi emphasized that one of the major failings of contemporary politicians is their inability to listen to people’s realities.
“The second powerful realization,” he said, “was that although I worked hard for people, I had never expressed love — the very reason for my work.”
During the Yatra, he began to openly express this love, and he noticed a profound change.
“A little girl came running to me and said, ‘Uncle, I love you.’ It struck me then — I had never used this narrative of love, which is the true foundation of what I do. Once I started listening and expressing affection, something amazing happened. People began responding in a way I had never experienced before. It made my life and my ability to connect with people so much easier that I cannot even express it,” Gandhi said.
He highlighted the slogan popularized during the Yatra: ‘Nafrat ke bazar mein mohabbat ki dukaan’ (In the marketplace of hatred, set up a shop of love).
“The slogan gained significant power in India,” he remarked.
“The idea is that no matter how much hatred is spread, the most powerful way to counter it is through love and affection,” he emphasized. (ANI)
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