Hyderabad, Apr 26 (UNI) Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday exuded confidence that the Bharat Summit would generate the ideas that are needed to build the ‘new politics in India and the rest of the world’.
Addressing the plenary session on the last day of the two-day Bharat Summit here, Gandhi said today, even in public meetings and on the streets, people come up to me, embracing this sentiment of shared humanity.
'No matter how much hatred is spread, love and affection are infinitely more powerful', he said that “Our politics must be rooted in listening, love, and genuine connection with the people we serve”.
There will always be disagreements on policy. However, while some operate through the lens of anger and fear, we must view the world through the lens of love, affection, and empathy, the former Congress President said.
It is truly an honor to work alongside all of you in building the new politics that India — and indeed, the world — urgently needs, said Gandhi.
"Democratic politics has fundamentally changed across the globe” and the rules that applied a decade ago no longer hold, he said 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The old model of a politician is obsolete; a new kind of leadership must be constructed, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha pointed out and said that is the real challenge before all of us: reclaiming democratic spaces and reimagining priorities like healthcare through a new political lens.
There was a period when even within the Congress party, we felt trapped — avenues for opposition were systematically closed off, and the atmosphere was stifling, he said to counter this, we reached back into history and decided to walk — from Kanyakumari to Kashmir — a journey of nearly 4,000 kilometers.
Along this ‘Yatra, Rahul said “ I learned two profound lessons: First, I realized that our opposition has a monopoly on anger, fear, and hatred — arenas where we cannot and should not compete. We needed to find spaces where we have an advantage and can build a compelling counter-narrative.
Thousands of people joined us during the Yatra. My primary role was to walk and listen. We made it a point that anyone, without barriers, could come forward and speak to us. Over time, I realized that while I knew how to speak and think, I had never truly listened before., the Rae Bareli MP said.
As the walk progressed, the talking faded and deep listening took over. I discovered a whole new dimension of communication — listening not just with ears, but with empathy and intent, he said..
“I recall a woman who approached me — she wanted to join the Yatra but feared her violent husband. She simply wanted to be heard, to be acknowledged”, Gandhi said .
Our opposition claims to have all the answers. But the truth is that it is the people who hold the solutions — we must listen to them and not lecture them.
The second profound realization was about the power of love.
During the Yatra, I allowed myself to openly express love and affection for the people I met. Previously, I had hesitated. But once I began, something extraordinary happened — people responded with overwhelming warmth and positivity, he added.
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