Democratic politics have changed globally: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that democratic politics have fundamentally changed across the globe and the rules that applied a decade ago no longer hold good.
Addressing the concluding session of the two-day Bharat Summit-2025 in Hyderabad, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said that the traditional tools of politics are no longer effective against the modern concentration of capital, media, and social media.
Gandhi said the old model of political leadership is now 'obsolete' and a new kind of leadership must be constructed, and added that the real challenge lies in reclaiming democratic spaces and reimagining priorities such as healthcare.
Also Read | Opposition backs Centre's action on Pahalgam attack, says Rahul Gandhi
'The tools that once worked cannot stand up to the modern concentration of capital, media, and social media. The old model of a politician is obsolete; a new kind of leadership must be constructed,' he said.
Speaking on the reasons that led him to undertake the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', he said that the Congress felt 'trapped and isolated' in a political atmosphere that no longer allowed it to operate freely.
'Some years ago, we in the Congress party felt completely trapped and isolated. This new politics, aggressive politics, a politics where the opposition is not talked to but the idea is to crush the opposition. We found that all our avenues were compromised. The media, the general atmosphere did not allow us to operate the way we would like,' he said.
Also Read | Supreme Court pulls up Rahul Gandhi over Savarkar remark, stays HC order
The political atmosphere prompted the Rae Barelil MP to turn to history and embark on a 4,000km journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir as part of his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', Gandhi said. The Congress leader said that he learnt two things from the journey.
'First, our opponents have a monopoly on anger and fear—we cannot fight them on that ground. But during the yatra, I discovered the transformative power of listening. I spoke less and listened more, and that changed everything.'
The second lesson was about embracing love in politics, pointing out the genesis of his slogan 'nafrat ke bazaar me mohabbat ki dukaan' (setting up a shop of love in a market of hatred).
'Until the yatra, I had never used the word 'love' in politics. But once I did, people began to respond,' he said. 'No matter how much hatred someone spreads, the most powerful way to disrupt them is not to argue with them but right in front of their hatred, to place the idea of love and affection
Gandhi said he realised that politicians have failed to listen to people's voices. 'No matter how much hatred someone spreads, the most powerful way to disrupt them is not to argue with them but right in front of their hatred, to place the idea of love and affection,' he said.
Disagreements on policy will always exist, however, while some operate through the lens of anger and fear, we must view the world through the lens of love, affection, and empathy, Gandhi noted.
The Congress MP thanked the delegates of Bharat Summit for their solidarity with India in the wake of Pahalgam terror attack.
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy, who was also part of the event, said his government was working on fulfilling the aspirations of all sections of society, including students, youth, farmers, women and the oppressed communities in particular.
'Women, farmers, and youth are the main partners in our government. Telangana is blessed with wonderful women entrepreneurs. Some women formed self-help groups with 67 lakh (6.7 million) members. Our goal is to promote one crore (10 million) women as millionaires. Women groups are establishing solar power plants, owning electric RTC buses and petrol pumps in the state,' he said.
The chief minister said his government's policy was to generate more revenue and distribute the wealth to the poor. The government is transparent and proactive in introducing reforms. 'We invite all the delegates to join our mission to bring a change in the lives of people and appeal to them to share their experiences, knowledge and skills with the state government and become 'Telangana Rising' brand ambassadors,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
14 minutes ago
- India Today
S Jaishankar's 'Kissa Kursi Ka' jibe at Congress over Emergency
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday referenced the Raj Babbar-Shabana Azmi starring 'Kissa Kursi Ka' in taking a jibe at the Congress on 'Emergency' from 1975 to 1977 during Indira Gandhi's regime. "All this happened because of one family," the 70-year-old minister said, on 50 years of the imposition of 'Emergency'."There's a movie titled 'Kissa Kursi Ka', and these three words aptly tell the reason behind the imposition of the Emergency. When a family is considered above the nation, things like 'Emergency' take place," Jaishankar said in his address at the inaugural session of a mock parliament organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). advertisementRecalling the 21-month period, when he was a 20-year-old student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jaishankar said the entire exercise was to "break the morale of the country and the society". The minister added that people who were not even in politics were impacted by the decision, while those involved with politics were aware that they would inevitably get arrested. "This entire exercise, in a way, was to break the morale of the country and society... Many people, who were not even in politics, were impacted. Those who were in politics were well aware that doing politics meant an inevitable arrest, and those who were arrested were unaware if and when they would be released", Jaishankar told the movie 'Kissa Kursi Ka' was banned from being released during the 'Emergency'. It is a political satire made in 1975 by Amrit Nahata, and focused on Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi. It was released after Indira Gandhi's government was ousted."After winning the elections in 1971, within a few years, the popularity of the government had drastically dropped. Corruption had increased, inflation was very high, and the tide was not in their favour. People were angry. Agitations were going on in Gujarat and Bihar... People were raising questions on the business of the then 'yuvraj'. Based on the verdict of the Allahabad High Court, the then Prime Minister was charged with two cases, corrupt practices and misuse of government machinery", Jaishankar recalled.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale questions ‘socialist', ‘secular' in Preamble: Why the words were inserted in 1976
Commemorating 50 years of the imposition of the Emergency at an event, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Thursday (June 26) said a discussion was merited on the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution. Hosabale said, 'The words socialist and secular were added to the Preamble [during the Emergency]. No attempt was made to remove them later. So, there should be a discussion on whether they should remain. I say this in a building (Ambedkar International Centre) named after Babasaheb Ambedkar, whose Constitution did not have these words in the Preamble.' Multiple legal challenges have been filed over the years against the inclusion of the words. Just last year, the Supreme Court upheld them in a verdict. Here is why. Essentially, the preamble includes the core philosophy of the Constitution and serves as an introduction to it. The Preamble of the Constitution that commenced in 1950 read: 'WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens: JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity of the Nation; IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.' The description of India as a 'secular' country in particular, has been debated intensely over the past four decades; with critics, mostly on the Right, claiming that these 'imposed' terms sanction 'pseudo-secularism', 'vote-bank politics' and 'minority appeasement'. The words were added by The Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976, during the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Imposing the Emergency under Article 352 allowed her government to curb civil liberties and centralise power. Let's look at the word 'socialist' first. Over her years in government, Gandhi had attempted to cement her approval among the masses on the basis of a socialist and pro-poor image with slogans such as 'garibi hatao' (Eradicate poverty). Her Emergency government inserted the word in the Preamble to underline that socialism was a goal and philosophy of the Indian state. It needs to be stressed, however, that the socialism envisaged by the Indian state was not the socialism of the USSR or China of the time — it did not envisage the nationalisation of all of India's means of production. Gandhi herself clarified that 'we have our own brand of socialism', under which 'we will nationalise [only] the sectors where we feel the necessity'. She underlined that 'just nationalisation is not our type of socialism'. The people of India profess numerous faiths, and their unity and fraternity, notwithstanding the differences in religious beliefs, were sought to be achieved by enshrining the ideal of 'secularism' in the Preamble. In essence, this means that the state protects all religions equally, maintains neutrality and impartiality towards all religions, and does not uphold any one religion as a 'state religion'. A secular Indian state was founded on the idea that it is concerned with the relationship between humans, and not between human beings and God, which is a matter of individual choice and individual conscience. Secularism in the Indian Constitution, therefore, is not a question of religious sentiment, but a question of law. The secular nature of the Indian state is secured by Articles 25-28, part of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. Yes, in essence, it was always a part of the philosophy of the Constitution. The founders of the Indian Republic adopted Articles 25, 26, and 27 with the explicit intention of furthering and promoting the philosophy of secularism in the Constitution. The 42nd Amendment only formally inserted the word into the Constitution and made explicit what was already implicit. In fact, the Constituent Assembly specifically discussed the inclusion of these words in the Preamble, and decided not to do so. After members such as K T Shah and Brajeshwar Prasad raised the demand to add these words to the preamble, Dr B R Ambedkar put forward the following argument: 'What should be the policy of the State, how the Society should be organised in its social and economic side are matters which must be decided by the people themselves according to time and circumstances. It cannot be laid down in the Constitution itself because that is destroying democracy altogether.' What was the Supreme Court case? In July 2020, a Supreme Court advocate by the name of Dr. Balram Singh filed a petition challenging the inclusion of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution. Later, former Law Minister Subramaniam Swamy and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay also filed petitions with similar challenges. The court rejected these arguments in a short, seven-page order in November 2024, with Justices Sanjiv Khanna and P V Sanjay Kumar noting that 'the flaws and weaknesses in the arguments are obvious and manifest.' When the Constitution was being drafted, the court noted that the meaning of the word secular was 'considered imprecise' as some scholars (particularly in the West) had interpreted secularism as being opposed to religion. With time though, the court held that 'India has developed its own interpretation of secularism, wherein the State neither supports any religion nor penalises the profession and practice of any faith'. The ideals espoused in the Preamble — fraternity, equality, individual dignity and liberty among others — 'reflect this secular ethos', the court held. Similarly, the court held that the word socialism has also evolved to have a unique meaning in India. It held that socialism refers to '(the) principle of economic and social justice, wherein the State ensures that no citizen is disadvantaged due to economic or social circumstances' and does not necessitate restrictions on the private sector which has 'flourished, expanded, and grown over the years, contributing significantly to the upliftment of marginalized and underprivileged sections in different ways'. Finally, it held that there was no justification for challenging the 42nd amendment nearly 44 years after its enactment. This explainer draws upon previous explainers published in 2024 and 2022.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
27 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Jaishankar blames Emergency-era deal for fishermen's arrests by Sri Lanka
At BJP Yuva Morcha event, S Jaishankar said that Indian fishermen continue to suffer due to a 1970s Emergency-era pact with Sri Lanka that was passed without parliamentary debate or consensus Rimjhim Singh New Delhi External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said Indian fishermen continue to be arrested by Sri Lankan authorities because of an agreement signed during the Emergency period, which stripped them of fishing rights in certain sea areas, news agency PTI reported. Speaking at an event organised by the BJP Yuva Morcha to mark 50 years of the Emergency, Jaishankar said the agreement would not have happened if Parliament had been working properly back then. 'No debate, no consensus' 'Big decisions were sometimes taken without any parliamentary debate during the time,' he said, highlighting the lack of democratic processes under the Emergency. Referring to the ongoing issue of fishermen being detained by Sri Lankan Navy, Jaishankar said, 'We hear about our fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka. The reason is that an agreement was entered into during the Emergency under which the rights of the fishermen for fishing in some sea waters of Sri Lanka was abandoned.' He said, if the Parliament had functioned genuinely, the matter would have been debated and such a decision would not have been accepted. 'The consequences of this decision are still visible in Tamil Nadu,' he said. India's image suffered, says Jaishankar Reflecting on the broader implications of the Emergency, Jaishankar said the world's perception of India as a vibrant democracy took a hit. 'I heard from my seniors in the foreign service how difficult it was to defend India after the murder of the Constitution and democracy by the imposition of Emergency,' he said. He also shared personal memories from that period, mentioning police raids at Jawaharlal Nehru University hostels and his family's connection with anti-Emergency leaders such as George Fernandes. Criticism of dynastic politics In a veiled attack on the Congress leadership, Jaishankar said the roots of the Emergency lay in prioritising familial power over national interest. 'An Emergency situation arises when the 'family' is kept ahead of the country,' he said. 'Some people keep the copy of the Constitution in their pockets but have other feelings in their hearts,' he added, in an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The minister stressed on the need for an informed and empowered citizenry to prevent any repeat of such an authoritarian phase. 'An empowered public would never let it happen,' he said. VIDEO | External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) speaks at the inaugural session of Mock Parliament organised by BJYM to mark 50 years of Emergency. "Emergency was imposed to break the morale of society," he said. (Full video available on PTI Videos -… — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 27, 2025 June 25: Samvidhan Hatya Divas Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday that the Union Cabinet has decided to observe June 25 as 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas' (Constitution Killing Day). The decision marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency and aims to remind the nation of the excesses committed during that period. He also criticised the Congress party, accusing it of hypocrisy. 'Those who 'murdered' the Constitution are flaunting a copy of it,' he said, taking a dig at the opposition. Recalling the imposition of the Emergency on the night of June 25, 1975, the minister said that during that period, opposition leaders were jailed, media was silenced, and civil liberties were severely restricted.
