There’s a BJP machine, 1000 guys with computers to tell you I’m stupid: Rahul Gandhi speaks at UC Berkeley

Rahul Gandhi's address at UC Berkeley is a part of his two-day visit to the US where he is meeting global thinkers, political leaders, and overseas Indians

By: News Desk |
September 12, 2017 10:14 am

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday spoke at length at the University of California, Berkeley about ‘India at 70’ and focussed on the work done by the Congress party in the country. Rahul’s address at UC Berkeley is a part of his two-day visit to the US where he is meeting global thinkers, political leaders, and overseas Indians. He also spoke of how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) runs a campaign to vilify his image and make him look stupid. “There’s a BJP machine, 1000 guys with computers, to abuse me, tell you I’m reluctant, I’m stupid. Here I am. Listen to me.Judge for yourself,” he said speaking at the event.

Speaking about dynasty politics he said: “Most of the country runs like this. That’s how India works. Dynastic politics is a problem in all political parties. Akhilesh (Yadav), (MK) Stalin and even (actor) Abhishek Bachchan are dynasts. Even (Prem Kumar) Dhumal’s son (Anurag Thakur) is a dynast, so don’t go just after me.” He added that he was ready to take charge of the party in 2019 when the next Lok Sabha elections will be held.

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Accepting that there have been problems in the Congress, he said that the party might have had become susceptible to “arrogance” in 2012. “Around 2012, a certain arrogance crept into the Congress and they stopped having conversations with the people,” he said.

Rahul said that he understands the problems that violence ignites, recalling the assassinations of his grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi. “I lost my grandmother and father to violence. If I don’t understand violence, who will? The idea of non-violence is under attack today, yet it is the only idea which can take humanity forward,” he said.

During the question and answer session at the event, a student raised a question on why certain politicians like Kamal Nath, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar were being shielded by the Congress. The party Vice President, however, chose to leave it unanswered.

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