Rahul Extra Mental, Strategist In contrast To Rajiv Gandhi: Sam Pitroda

Rahul Gandhi will go to the US from September 8-10.

New Delhi:

Rahul Gandhi is extra mental and extra of a strategist as in contrast together with his father Rajiv Gandhi, says long-time Gandhi household confidant Sam Pitroda, describing each leaders as “custodians of the thought of India”.

In an interview with PTI, Mr Pitroda additionally asserted that the Chief of the Opposition within the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has all of the qualities of a future prime minister.

Mr Pitroda, the chairman of the Indian Abroad Congress, dismissed as “bogus” the BJP’s assault on Rahul Gandhi up to now over his remarks vital of the federal government throughout his visits overseas.

Talking about Mr Gandhi’s upcoming go to to the US subsequent week, Mr Pitroda stated he’s not coming to the US in his official capability however can have an opportunity to work together with quite a lot of folks on Capitol Hill at an “particular person stage”.

“He (Gandhi) will certainly have interactions with the press on the nationwide press membership, he’ll meet with the assume tank folks and also will engage at Georgetown College which is equally necessary in Washington DC,” the Indian Abroad Congress chief stated of Gandhi’s first go to to the US since assuming the mantle of the Chief of Opposition within the Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi will go to the US from September 8-10 throughout which he’ll maintain quite a few interactions in Washington DC and Dallas, together with on the College of Georgetown and the College of Texas.

Requested about similarities and divergences between former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Pitroda stated he had labored with a variety of prime ministers carefully reminiscent of Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh, VP Singh, Chandra Sekhar and HD Deve Gowda.

“I had a possibility to see many prime ministers from very shut quarters however the distinction between Rahul and Rajiv possibly is that Rahul is way more mental, thinker, Rajiv was a little bit extra doer. They’ve the identical DNA, they’ve the identical issues and emotions for the folks, they genuinely consider in constructing a greater India for everyone, they’re genuinely easy folks. They do not have large private wants,” the Congress chief informed PTI from Chicago.

“Rahul is a strategist extra so than Rajiv was. They’re merchandise of various instances, totally different instruments, and totally different experiences. Poor Rahul has gone via two large shocks in life, (demise of) his grandmother and his father. So that they have had totally different paths to journey,” he stated.

Their fundamentals are clear, each are “custodians of the thought of India” that the Congress get together had laid out and each chief of the get together believed in, he stated.

“Narasimha Rao believed in it, (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji believes in it and collectively it’s our job to construct the India our founding fathers had envisaged,” Pitroda stated.

He additionally identified that Rahul Gandhi’s picture is lastly coming via the way in which he’s and the 2 Bharat Jodo Yatras had helped in that.

“Initially, the picture created within the media was primarily based on a well-orchestrated marketing campaign towards a person the place tens of millions and tens of millions of {dollars} had been spent on maligning this younger man and when he’s extremely educated, folks stated he by no means went to varsity. Individuals created this picture by spending some huge cash. It was a false picture. I give a whole lot of credit score to Rahul Gandhi for standing up and preventing it for a very long time and surviving, no person else would have been capable of survive,” Mr Pitroda stated.

“The onslaught day in and day trip on a person, his household, his legacy, his get together character, it’s unhealthy. These are imply individuals who by design lie, cheat and say every kind of issues about people. I’ve seen that in my case additionally to a really small extent,” the 82-year-old technocrat stated.

Pitroda stated issues have rotated within the public’s thoughts as a result of they’re starting to grasp that the media is managed, messages are designed to harm folks and lies are lastly catching up.

“You can’t lie on a regular basis to the folks. Individuals at the moment are starting to see that it was stated ‘we’ll create 20 million jobs’, however they have not completed that, it was stated black cash will likely be introduced again, it hasn’t occurred,” he stated.

On whether or not he sees Rahul Gandhi as a future PM, Pitroda stated that’s for the folks to resolve.

“From my private expertise and I could also be biased, I believe he’s very succesful. He’s an honest human being, he’s properly educated, he has the correct DNA and I see him because the custodian of the thought of democracy that the Congress has at all times promoted,” he stated.

Requested about Congress leaders’ view that Gandhi had earned the correct to imagine the submit of PM when the Congress involves energy, Pitroda stated he agrees with the view however finally it’s for the get together to resolve.

On whether or not he sees qualities of a future PM in Mr Gandhi, Mr Pitroda emphatically stated, “Completely, no query about it.” Requested in regards to the assault his get together and he confronted from the BJP through the previous overseas visits of Gandhi over his vital remarks, Pitroda stated that at the moment when communication is instantaneous and distance is lifeless, there are not any native occasions.

“Each native occasion turns into a worldwide occasion, a church burn in France is now not a French occasion, it’s a international occasion for instance. Identical with wars. So it’s flawed to imagine that there are specific stuff you say at dwelling and there are specific stuff you say overseas,” he stated.

“Criticising the federal government is just not criticising India. It’s alright to criticise the federal government by an opposition chief, That’s his job actually, so why complain? I believe this complete enterprise of criticising overseas is bogus,” the Indian Abroad Congress chairman asserted.

On the June 4 Lok Sabha ballot outcomes and its significance, Pitroda stated, “Within the final election the worry was that the BJP will get 400 seats. Then it might have been an absolute majority which might result in within the judgement of many individuals a little bit little bit of concern at numerous ranges on the Structure, authoritarian mindset and extra assault on the opposition and media. So this election was essential as a result of the BJP might be introduced all the way down to 240 seats.” 

The message is loud and clear that extraordinary folks of India choose democracy, Structure, freedom and justice, he asserted.

(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)