Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the annual convention of the ‘Rachnatmak Congress’ has been much talked about and much trolled over his remarks on Indian foreign policy. He sought to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi vis-à-vis his relationship with the US President Donald Trump though without naming any of the two. It was wrongly linked to Prime Minister Modi’s good personal equation with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Rahul was abundantly clear as about whom he was talking and it was for sure not about ‘Modi-Meloni chocolatee’.
Gandhi, during his speech, tried to create a visual impression by hugging Sandeep Dixit, trying to suggest that Modi also hugs foreign leaders like that and believes that his hugs will improve relationships with their countries. He hinted towards Trump saying while Modi was trying to “hug” him, he in return was trying to pull his collar.
Later, Dixit made an uncanny remark telling Rahul, “Hope you did not hug me thinking I am Meloni.” Rahul said he would talk about that later, but he never did. Rahul for sure did not mention or suggest Meloni in any way.
As nobody heard Rahul’s full speech, out of context clips of the speech went viral. But in the process, the important message of his speech was missed. For the first time Rahul did not sound hostile towards the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He said the RSS as an original force was dead as, according to him, it had been captured by the “large capital”, suggesting that it was now being controlled by business tycoons like Adani and Ambani.
He even referred to the traditional support base of the RSS consisting of small-time businessmen like traders, shopkeepers, jewellers and ‘halwais’ (sweet sellers). ‘Halwai’ was a derogatory term used by the liberals and progressives against the RSS supporters suggesting that they lacked “mental acumen and intelligence”. However, Rahul appeared to link it with the disillusionment of the small-time traders with the RSS after demonetisation and GST which created havoc for this section of the traders and industrialists.
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So far, Rahul has aggressively campaigned against the RSS and has always bracketed it with the BJP and always accused it of “dividing” people with polarisation. Rahul once used this reason behind shutting his and the Congress party’s doors on his cousin Varun Gandhi, saying that the latter had opted the path of RSS, which he will never accept.
While at this stage it is unimaginable that Rahul can go soft on the RSS as he has built his politics on an anti-RSS narrative to appeal to the Muslim minority across the country, nothing can be ruled out in politics. If his Congress party could align and share power with the DMK and its leader M Karunanidhi, who was accused of having close links with the LTTE, which assassinated Rahul’s father, former PM Rajeev Gandhi, there is no reason that the Congress can’t rethink its approach towards the RSS. At times political expediency takes precedence over cherished ideological commitments.
There can be other reasons also for Rahul’s relatively “softened stance” towards what has always been considered to be the “core support base” of the RSS, that of small traders and businessmen, which constitutes the bulk of the country’s middle-class population. For the last several elections, this section has mostly remained committed towards the BJP. As long as the Congress does not make inroads into this section, its revival will be difficult.
Rahul apparently tried to convey to this section of the population that the RSS, they were part of and whose ideology they were committed to, no longer exists. “The RSS as the original force is dead,” he said and went on to add that it has been “captured” by the large capital, suggesting to the “core base” that it no longer cares and bothers about it, but has been under the control of people like Adani and Ambani.
This was the crux of the message of Rahul’s speech at the Rachnatmak Congress, which got overshadowed with his references to Prime Minister’s hugs with the world leaders.
Last, but not the least, Rahul also issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah that he will not rest till he does not ensure their departure, when they will be forced to say, “leave us”. He said he will drive them crazy and he did not mean through elections, but apparently through mass protests and uprisings like the recent Gen Z protests. He, however, did not elaborate how he will do that.
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