LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addresses 'Hara Bhara Swaraj: A Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi's Vision' on the birth anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, at Jawahar Bhawan, in New Delhi. (@INCIndia/X via PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said India must make every citizen feel a sense of belonging, irrespective of religion, caste, age or gender, as he paid tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 82nd birth anniversary.

Rahul Gandhi also expressed pride over his mother Sonia Gandhi’s forthcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, saying he knew how difficult it had been for someone as private as her to tell her story.

In a message posted on X, he said: “Mama, I last saw you and Papa together more than 35 years ago. Since the day Papa left, I have watched you face everything life threw at you with never-ending courage and dignity.”

“Only Priyanka and I really know what you have been through, and how difficult your life after Papa truly was,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi said he was happy and proud that the memoir would be read by millions of people who loved Sonia Gandhi. “I know how hard it was for someone as private as you to tell the world your beautiful story,” he said.

On Rajiv Gandhi’s birthday, he added, he could see “Papa smiling and looking down proudly at his beautiful Sonia”.

Addressing Hara Bhara Swaraj, a gathering organised to commemorate Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary, Rahul Gandhi said every person, regardless of religion, caste, age or gender, must feel: “I belong here. I am loved here. I am respected here, and my search for truth matters.”

Accusing the BJP of targeting minorities, Dalits and Adivasis, he said: “The BJP tells Muslims, Christians and Sikhs that they don’t exist. The BJP tells Adivasis that their land will be taken, and if they protest, they will be shot. The BJP tells Dalits that their oppression doesn’t matter. This is what has been done to our country.”

“That needs to be reversed,” he asserted, stressing that every citizen should feel a sense of belonging, love and respect.

Rahul Gandhi said Swaraj was an Indian concept that was wrongly translated into English as “freedom”. Swaraj, he explained, meant “ruling over oneself”. While freedom could be granted to another person, Swaraj could not be bestowed upon someone, he said.

Describing Swaraj as an individual’s relationship with the world, he said Mahatma Gandhi wanted every person to follow that path. Gandhiji considered every living being a unique entity with his or her own path towards the truth, he added.

Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS of believing that it knew the truth of 1.5 billion people. “And I say no, only 1.5 billion people can know their own truth,” he said.

“If I start to believe that I know your truth, I am a madman, because I have not faced what you have faced and I have not seen what you have seen. So how can I say that I know your truth?” he asked.

He said Gandhiji’s vision could not exist alongside an expensive education system, an unfair testing system or a financial system monopolised by two or three people. It also required a political system that reached deep into the country, he added.

Addressing students and young people, Rahul Gandhi said their aspirations should be respected. “You want to be an engineer, a cook or a shoemaker. Good for you, be a shoemaker. You want to be an astronaut. Good for you, be that,” he said.

“It is the job of the government and the country to open the doors to your imagination and make you feel and believe. The country should help you walk on that path. That is Gandhiji’s vision for India, and that is the path of Swaraj,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi said the ideological battle in India was between those who believed that they knew the truth for everyone and those who respected each individual’s search for truth.

“If a student comes to me, I believe that they know their truth better than I ever can. My job is to listen, respect it and understand it. That is the political fight we are in,” he said.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks about students, Rahul Gandhi said: “When Mr Narendra Modi says, ‘I forgive the students’, it means, ‘I know everything and you don’t know anything, and I forgive you’. That is why they attack students every single day. Then, suddenly, they became scared and Mohan Bhagwatji said students should not be attacked.”

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