BENGALURU: Rahul Gandhi might not have been successful in moulding young minds to think on the same lines as him about Modi, but he sure did make a pleasing impact on the crowd of both students and faculty present there on Wednesday. “It was very unusual for us to see him in casuals as we were expecting what we generally see on the television, which is clad in white khadi kurta,” says Dr Chaman Farzana one of the faculty members present at the Q and A. She also added, “He is very humble and he might not be a great speaker as Modi but he speaks from the heart.”
According to the college authorities, Rahul did his research on Mount Carmel before interacting with the students there. “I did a lot of research on the college and also spoke to a few former alumni like Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Margaret Alva and Nirupama Rao,” said the Congress Vice-President to the students. “We saw him in 3D which made a lot of difference and it is good to meet a young leader who would motivate the minds,” added another faculty.
Despite receiving a mixed reaction to his Make in India and Swachh Bharat questions, he did garner a lot of appreciation from the crowd. Speaking about women empowerment, Rahul said he grew up without a father and it was only the three most important women in his life that took care of him; grandmother, mother and sister. Hence he believed strongly about women empowerment and their need to feel safe in the country. “Physical violence on a woman is not acceptable in India,” said Rahul while addressing the issue of women. “A young lady goes to a pub in Bengaluru and she is thrashed because she went to a pub. The single biggest problem in this country is that women don’t have the place they deserve, they are mistreated,” he added.
Speaking about intolerance and beef issue, he said the issue disturbed him as an Indian. “I do not like what is going on with regard to intolerance. It disturbs me as an Indian. Your Principal told me today that women feel uncomfortable walking on the streets. It’s imposing your will on somebody. It's just bullying,” said Gandhi while interacting with the students of Mount Carmel College. He stressed on the issue of importance of dialogue and participation among people and policy makers.
“We are not trying to stall Parliament. We want the GST that suits the country and benefits the country and we are ready to have that conversation without a problem.” He also added that his party wished for talks with the government on issues like land and GST Bills, but it was not engaging in a dialogue. He also spoke about empowering those below poverty line and in rural areas. “We need to give voice to the voiceless and need to help bring them up in life,” he added. “The only way to work with the poor is to bring them into the conversation.”
When asked about why Congress does not initiate conversation with Irom Sharmila who has been on a hunger strike since November 2000, he said, “A conversation should be started with Irom Sharmila, we will do it.”
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