Democratic politics have fundamentally changed globally, says Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said democratic politics have fundamentally changed across the globe and the rules that applied a decade ago no longer hold good.

Addressing the two-day Bharat Summit 2025, organised by the Congress government in Telangana, Gandhi spoke about the reasons that led him to undertake the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra.'

He said the party felt "trapped and isolated" in a political atmosphere that no longer allowed it to operate freely.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha noted that the traditional tools of politics are no longer effective against the modern concentration of capital, media, and social media.

Gandhi said the old model of political leadership is now obsolete and a new kind of leadership must be constructed.

He added that the real challenge lies in reclaiming democratic spaces and reimagining priorities such as healthcare.

"Some years ago, we in the Congress party felt completely trapped and isolated. This new politics, aggressive politics, a politics where the opposition is not talked to but the idea is to crush the opposition. We found that all our avenues were compromised. The media, the general atmosphere did not allow us to operate the way we would like," he said.

To counter this, the Congress turned to history and decided to embark on a journey of nearly 4,000 kilometers from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, he said.

"I essentially learnt two things from that walk. Our opposition across the world has a monopoly on anger, fear and hatred. There is no way that we are ever going to be able to compete with them on anger, fear and hatred. They are going to outdo us... So, the question is where and how do we operate. Where are the spaces from which we can build a counter narrative," he said.

Reflecting on his experiences during 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', Gandhi said he realised that politicians have failed to listen to people's voices.

The second profound realisation for him was about the power of love, he said, recalling his slogan of 'nafrat ke bazaar me mohabbat ki dukaan' (setting up a shop of love in a market of hatred).

Emphasizing the need to spread love and harmony, Gandhi said: "No matter how much hatred someone spreads, the most powerful way to disrupt them is not to argue with them but right in front of their hatred, to place the idea of love and affection."

There will always be disagreements on policy matters and some may operate through the lens of anger and fear, but progressive forces must view the world through the lens of love, affection, and empathy, he added.

The Congress MP thanked the delegates of Bharat Summit for their solidarity with India in the wake of Pahalgam terror attack.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy highlighted the slew of development and welfare programmes initiated by his government, including farm loan waiver, 24-hour free electricity to farmers, Rs 500 per quintal bonus to farmers and Young India Skills University.

In his speech, RJD MP Manoj Jha said progressive politics is not a luxury.

The Bharat Summit, a two-day conclave focused on promoting meaningful dialogue on global justice, equity, and progressive cooperation, began on Friday.