New Delhi: In a candid conversation with students at the University of Texas at Dallas, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India’s opposition Congress party, shared insights into his evolving political philosophy, emphasising the importance of listening, choosing battles wisely and introducing “love” into the political discourse.
Gandhi, reflecting on his journey from the early days of his political career to now, confessed that he has learned the power of listening over speaking, stating that “listening means to put myself in your position.”
Choose battles carefully
He also stressed the significance of prioritising key issues and fighting for them strategically, emphasising that “one must choose their battles carefully.” “Now I am coming to the conclusion that listening is much more important than speaking. Listening means to put myself in your position. If a farmer speaks to me, I will try to step myself in their day-to-day life and understand what they are trying to say. Listening is fundamental and then understanding the deeper dynamics. One must not raise every single issue. You focus on important issues and fight for it. One must choose their battles carefully,” he said.
‘We try to listen and understand’
He described his day-to-day life as a politician, highlighting the constant engagement with diverse voices – farmers, businesspeople, party members – and the challenges of navigating the parliamentary arena, where he likened the debates to a “war of ideas and words.” Gandhi acknowledged the complexities of addressing issues, often requiring nuanced understanding and strategic planning.
“Very often, when you see an issue, you realise nuances and complexity and plan your day according to that. During parliament, one goes there in the morning and there is a war. The war is pleasant and fun but gets nasty sometimes. It is a war of ideas and words. We try to put a point of view across and the government tries to suppress it. On other days, a lot of people- party people, businesspeople, farmers, etc.–come to see us and we try to listen and understand them,” Gandhi said.
The transformative experience of Bharat Jodo Yatra
Gandhi further discussed the transformative experience of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, his cross-country foot march, which he described as a “surprisingly easy” way to connect with the people and “fundamentally” change his perspective on politics. He explained that the Yatra allowed him to listen to the people directly and also introduced “love” into the political conversation.
“The reason (behind conducting Bharat Jodo Yatra) is that all avenues of communication in India were shut. No matter what we did, it was all shut. We spoke in parliament. That’s not televised. We go to the media, they don’t pick up what we say. We even go with documents to the legal system and nothing happens. So all our avenues were shut. And for a long time, we literally couldn’t understand how to communicate. And then suddenly we hit upon the idea… what better way to go directly than to literally go walking across the country? And so that’s what we did…”, Gandhi while speaking about what prompted him to start the Bharat Jodo Yatra said.