Rahul Gandhi in US: “We were politically compelled to embark on yatra…

Rahul Gandhi addressed the National Press Club in Washington DC on Tuesday, emphasizing the significance of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Nyay Yatra as essential means of connecting with the Indian population. He explained that the political environment in India had prompted the need for these Yatras, as traditional democratic channels seemed to be ineffective. According to Gandhi, the media and courts were not functioning as they should, compelling them to reach out to the people directly, which proved to be successful. Reflecting on the change in Indian politics in 2014 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term, Gandhi observed that it brought about an aggressive approach that undermined democratic structures.

This tumultuous period had a significant personal impact on him, leading him to adopt unconventional measures such as embarking on the Yatras to engage with the Indian populace, a step he hadn’t considered before. Gandhi elaborated on the Yatras, explaining that one was undertaken on foot, covering 4,000km from South India to Kashmir, while the other was conducted by car, from Manipur to Maharashtra—both initiatives aimed at reaching out to people in various regions of the country. The unedited story, except for the headline, was sourced from a syndicated feed and has been published without modification by NDTV.