Rahul Gandhi’s Vision Counters ‘Pappu’ Label, Blames China’s Dominance for India’s Job Crisis

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, arrived in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday during his three-day visit to the United States. He spoke with students at the University of Texas about India’s politics, economy, and the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Rahul Gandhi said, “There is an employment issue in India. This is because we have not focused on production. Everything in India is ‘Made in China.’ China has focused on production, which is why there is no unemployment issue there. On the question of poverty in India, Gandhi stated, ‘Only one or two people are given control of all ports and defense contracts, which is why manufacturing in India is not in a good state.’ At the event, Indian Overseas Congress President Sam Pitroda commented, ‘Rahul Gandhi is no longer a ‘Pappu’; he is educated and a strategic thinker with sound reasoning on various issues.'”

Rahul Gandhi’s 7 Questions and Answers During the Program

Question: What are the challenges of being the leader of the opposition? 

Answer: Opposition is the voice of the people. As the leader of the opposition, one must think about where and how to raise the people’s voice. During this time, one must consider things from the perspective of industry, individuals, and farmers. After listening and understanding well, one must respond. Parliament is like a battleground, where one must go and fight. However, sometimes the battle gets serious. It’s a verbal war. Various leaders, industrialists, and delegations come to Parliament, and it’s essential to listen to all sides.

Question: You have had a long career. What changes have you seen in politics over the years?

Answer: I have come to the conclusion that listening is more important than speaking. Listening means placing yourself in the other’s shoes. If a farmer talks to me, I try to engage in their daily life and understand what they are trying to convey. Listening is fundamental. After that, you need to thoughtfully understand an issue. Not every issue needs to be raised. You must focus on important issues and then bring them into politics. Even those issues you don’t want to raise should be well understood.

Question: You traveled 4,000 kilometers during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. What changes did it bring? 

Answer: The communication channels in India had shut down. When I spoke in the Lok Sabha, it wasn’t shown on television. The media didn’t pick up what we said; everything was blocked. For a long time, we couldn’t figure out how to communicate with people. Then we realized that the media wasn’t bringing us to the people, so we decided to go directly to them, which is why we undertook this yatra.

Initially, I had issues with my knee. I wondered how I made this decision to go on the journey, but after a few days, it started feeling easier. This yatra changed the way I do politics, changed the way I talk and understand people. There was no love in politics before. Through this yatra, we showed that politics can be done with love and emotion.

Question: What was the best moment during the yatra? 

Answer: There were thousands of people during the yatra. Whatever they said seemed to come out of my mouth. It felt like the yatra was speaking to me. Even the slogan “Opening a shop of love in the market of hate” is not mine. During the yatra, a man came to me and said, “I know what you’re doing.” I asked him, “What am I doing?” He replied, “You are opening a shop of love in the market of hate.”

Similarly, a woman came to me, held my hand. I asked her what happened. She said her husband used to beat her, and she had run away. If she told the police, she would be beaten more. During the yatra, I realized that many women in India are attacked. The yatra helped me understand people’s emotions. It made me realize what our country desires and experiences.

In India, gods don’t just refer to deities. A god is someone who expresses externally what they experience internally. That’s what is meant by a god. The same applies to our politics. A leader must set aside their own intentions and think about the people. A leader expresses what the people feel. Becoming a god means thinking about people after fulfilling one’s own thoughts. People like Lord Ram, Buddha, and Mahatma Gandhi were such individuals. This is the difference between Indian and American leaders.

Question: What is your take on employment for the youth? 

Answer: There is no unemployment issue worldwide. There is unemployment in the West and in India, but not in China or Vietnam. There is a reason for that. In the 1950s, the U.S. was considered the hub of production. Things like TVs and cars were made here. Then production moved to China.

Question: What do you think about AI? Will it impact jobs? 

Answer: Whenever new technology arrives, there are concerns about job loss. Similar debates occurred when the radio and calculator were introduced, as well as with the IT sector. However, new technology transforms jobs. While some lose jobs, others gain them. Today, computers have created many jobs.

Question: Considering India’s population, how should the education system change? What are your plans? 

Answer: Some people say the country has a skills issue. I don’t think it’s a skills issue; rather, skilled people aren’t given enough respect. Moreover, our education system doesn’t align with the business world. There’s a big gap between skill and education in our country. We need to bridge this gap. Many university VCs in the country are linked with the RSS, which should not be the case.