‘Love, respect, humility missing from Indian politics’: Rahul Gandhi speaks of his role as LoP in Dallas

Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader, spoke of his role as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and what it entails. He referred to the speech of the president of Indian National Overseas Congress, USA, Mohinder Gilzian, who had highlighted the role of the LoP. Gandhi said while he does not disagree with Gilzian’s definition of his role, he believes it to be bigger, broader and yet simpler. 

Gandhi, as well as Gilzian, were addressing the Indian diaspora in Dallas. The Congress leader is on a four-day unofficial trip to the US. Gandhi said Gilzian spoke of the LoP’s role as opposing the government in Parliament, not letting them run a dictatorship, along with 4-5 other points. 

“This is true. One can say that those are the elements of the job. But I was thinking to myself that is not really my role, those are maybe my responsibilities but my role is broader and bigger than that, and in many ways simpler than that,” said Gandhi before elaborating on what his role as LoP entails. 

“I would like to tell you that I believe my role is injecting the values of love, respect and humility in Indian politics,” said Gandhi to thunderous applause. “I think what is missing in our political system and across political parties is love, respect and humility,” he said. 

“Love to all human beings, not necessarily only one religion, one community, one caste, one state, or to those who speak one language. Respect to everybody who is trying to build India, not just the most powerful but also the weakest, and humility not in others but in oneself. That's how I see my role,” said Gandhi to the Indian diaspora. 

He further added that if he were to measure his success in five years’ time from now, he would look at three parameters: “I would say have I helped bring the idea of love to the forefront of Indian politics? Have I helped make politicians, others and myself in particular more humble? Have I increased the respect Indian people have for each other? Those would be the values I would be thinking of.”

Gandhi, addressing students at the University of Texas, said that the Congress party initiated the Bharat Jodo Yatra because all the avenues of communication were blocked for them. He said they thought if the media or other institutions would not take their message to the people, they would take the message to them directly.