On Rahul Gandhi’s birthday, Congress will observe his birthday as “Sewa Diwas” to continue relief work across India; he will not celebrate.
The Delhi Congress workers will distribute these items to people lining up to receive ”free ration” in the 272 wards of the municipal corporations, they said and will distribute free essential items, including face masks, medicine kits, and cooked meals to people across the national capital. Delhi Congress workers will distribute these items to people lining up to receive ”free ration” in the 272 wards of the municipal corporations.”
The Congress party issued a statement that said, “In view of the second COVID wave & the incredible difficulties people are facing, Mr. Gandhi has chosen not to celebrate his birthday. Instead, he has urged Congress workers to continue their relief work around India.”
Delhi Congress workers, under the leadership of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) President Chaudhary Anil Kumar, will distribute masks, medicine kits, cooked meals, water, and other items to people across the national capital, the organization said in a statement.
“Delhi Congress workers will continue to do noble works on the birthday of Rahul ji tomorrow, without any ostentatious celebration, as the Congress party’s motto has always been to sincerely serve the people, more so when they are facing challenging situations like now.
“The aim is to reach out to people, who have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, with help and support,” Mr Kumar said.
The Congress leaders will also visit the families of those who have lost their near and dear ones to the deadly coronavirus, and extend help and support to them, he stated.
Birthday greetings flood out to him from all over Social Media, but this year, wishes are muted from many leaders, perhaps in light of the internal challenges the party is facing with a silent thrust for leadership. While most of the party workers pitch for Rahul ji as the President of the party and Prime Ministerial candidate face of India, opinions differ, dividing the party.
Rahul Gandhi member of the Indian Parliament, representing the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala in the 17th Lok Sabha is a member of the Indian National Congress and served as the President of the Indian National Congress from 16 December 2017 to 3 July 2019. He was the Youth Congress Leader since 2004.
The Youth Congress Party was like a “dying flame” was expressed by some party workers, before the 2000s. In 2004, when Rahul Gandhi stepped in, he was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004. He revamped the Youth Congress and NSUI organization introducing the election process for the first time in the Youth Congress and NSUI which allowed the entry of the gifted and capable with true credentials, not just the rich and powerful.
Under his leadership, Youth Congress saw a jump of 25 lakh primary members which has increased and expanded over the years. He walked with party workers on dusty roads, sat with them, interacted with them, and won their hearts through his personal outreach. For the Youth Congress workers, he is the Napoleon Bonaparte type of leader who walks with his people and does not order them from a throne or a phone, and this is why they love him.
During the COVID-19 crisis, it was the Congress Youth under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi that has reached out tirelessly to struggling citizens and they are there in every crisis under his guidance and leadership.
In States where the Congress party ruled, they waived all the farmers’ loans and kept their electoral promises to them, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and the chief ministers.
The workers cherish Rahulji because he could sit along with the poor at the same table and chat with them freely. He could hug a poor old woman as wrinkled as a raisin with pure love shining out of his eyes. He sought duty cuts on items for blind students, among other dozens of acts of empathy. He could jump boundary fences to join a band of grubby farmers as he extended out open arms to them. He could sit on grubby footpaths with the distressed migrant workers during the COVID crisis, give them assistance and firmly keep his promises to all the people he met.
Some of the dramatic acts he did were his secret outreach to Nirbhaya’s family where he specifically instructed them not to tell anyone not desiring publicity. He was a personal benefactor to her brother helping him in his dream to become a pilot. While the family was sworn to secrecy, they eventually shared this with others.
Rahul Gandhi narrowly escaped a plane crash during Karnataka polls in August 2018 when his aircraft, en route Hubbali, developed snag mid-air. During that frightening event when the plane nearly crashed, Rahuji kept calm and comforted the crew. The grateful crew later shared this after the incident. People said that in the face of death, he had no fear for his own life.
On one occasion, a photographer suddenly fell down a flight of stairs while covering Rahul Gandhi’s arrival at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. Rahul Gandhi was the first person to rush down the stairs to help the photographer up.
He fought for farmers and workers from Bhatta Parsaul to Barmer and Orissa and got the new pro farmers land acquisition Act, 2012 passed by the Government of India. He has done a remarkable outreach during the COVID-19 crisis to his constituency in Kerala, Wayanad. He has also reached out to his former constituency Amethi with aid.
During demonization, he joined the demonetization line to talk to the masses standing in that line and get a peek into their thoughts in that situation; he sat in a movie hall just to identify with citizens who watch movies and get a glimpse into their daily lives.
He insists that the poor farmers and others get their money transferred directly into their bank accounts to put money into the system without it getting trapped by other grabbing agencies. Somehow over these last years, with all the schemes, the poor and middle section never saw the money that was promised because it got lost in the “system.”
In pre and post-2014, during the dark spell of the Congress when it lost elections, he tried to build the party with the support of loyal party workers and faithful citizens of India. He got very little support from all the guards, young or old during that time.
The Congress party won 3 States in 2018 and Rahul Gandhi gave all the credit to the local leaders and party workers but when the party performed badly in 2019, he took the responsibility and resigned from the Presidentship.
He did it all silently and tirelessly and never asked for power, recognition, post, or respect and bore unfair allegations, fake news, and ignominious ridicule that the BJP followers poured on him without complaint. All along, Media, the ruling party mocked and ridiculed him; and it was noted many of his own party members did nothing to protect him or speak up for him. He did not file an FIR for defamation of character for some of the things said against him are shockingly derogatory.
He has a predictive ability as many of the statements he made came out startlingly true, such as his predictions for demonetization which he foresaw as the biggest money-grabbing scam; incidentally, no one got the 15 lakhs promised to them, and in fact, today Indians’ funds in Swiss banks rise to Rs 20,700 cr. Rich grew 73% in 5 years, in 2019, 51% increased their fortunes. The top 10% of the Indian population holds 77% of the total national wealth. Others are struggling in poverty, and obviously, the black money is not back but flourishing abroad and elsewhere.
He frequently warned the government of the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic in February, when no other politician paid heed to his warnings, the endemic of joblessness in India, and the list goes on.
He understands the demography of India: India is not like the USA, which can survive as a capitalist country, so his fight for the poor is with the realization that they will be wiped out completely in a capitalist society in India.
In the USA, the middle and poor class have medical insurance, disability benefits, and the State takes care of them when they are jobless, unlike India, where millions will die like flies. While people in the USA are taxed and pay it up, they also are well taken care of. While the present government under BJP might want to copy the USA’s model of capitalism, Rahul Gandhi can see its suicidal and homicidal implications for the middle and poor class. He has understood the poor person’s need for autonomy of their businesses, the farmer’s right to price their products and get good money for their toil and sweat.
He has the vision to empower the middle class and is already working on lines on how to do it and passionately wants to create jobs for the youth and concretely thinking on how to generate new jobs for the over one billion citizens in India and he working with the think tanks of the nation for this. He is keen to implement schemes and ensure the fruit of it benefits all the people.
Rahul Gandhi is more of a revolutionary leader than he is a politician, but it takes a revolutionary leader to ignite hearts. With his policy of love, reaching out, and uniting India, positive waves will be released in the nation. Positive vibes always prosper a nation and flourish the economy; negative vibes of hate destroy a nation and its economy.
While he resigned as the President of the Congress party, millions of party workers are not letting him go. He is their choice. On the voting polls both online and on-ground, as a Congress leader, he has already won. He needs to accept Presidentship again and move forward, India needs a leader of light when the daylight of democracy is fading into the night of fascism.
This article is the author’s opinion and shares the author’s views on the above article.