Hyderabad: Stressing the need for love and harmony in today’s political landscape, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that hatred could not be defeated by hatred, but only by love. He also noted that democratic politics had fundamentally changed across the globe.“Rules that applied a decade ago simply do not apply any more,” he said. Tools and methods that were once effective were now outdated he told the Bharat Summit plenary, a global forum for the exchange of ideas, here on Saturday. “The old model of political leadership is obsolete and a new kind of leadership must be constructed. The real challenge lay in reclaiming democratic spaces and reimagining priorities.”Addressing the two-day summit, organised by the Congress government, Rahul Gandhi sharply contrasted the Congress’s philosophy with that of the ruling dispensation at the Centre. While they focused on fear, anger and hatred, the Congress approached politics through love, affection and an attitude to attentively listen to the people. Reflecting on the challenges posed by new aggressive politics, he recounted his decision to undertake the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a 4,000-kilometre journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, as a way to re-establish direct communication with the people when traditional avenues like media had been compromised.“Some years ago, we in the Congress 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.The Congress leader narrated an incident from the yatra where a woman, facing domestic abuse found relief simply by being heard, underlining the vital need for leaders to genuinely listen to people’s stories.Taking a veiled swipe at the BJP, Rahul Gandhi remarked, “Our opposition does not know how to listen because they believe they already have all the answers.” He insisted that a key requirement for today’s politics was to sincerely hear the people’s voices rather than impose top-down solutions.”Listening transforms relationships,” he said, sharing that during the yatra, speaking less and listening more brought profound insights and connections.Rahul Gandhi also highlighted the transformative role of love in political discourse. “Until the yatra, I had never used the word ‘love’ in politics. But once I did, it changed the way people engaged,” he stated. “No matter how much hatred is spread, the best way to disrupt it is not by retaliating with hatred but by responding with love,” he emphasised.Rahul Gandhi concluded by reaffirming the Congress’s approach: “While their lens is fear, anger and hatred, ours must be love, affection and listening to the will of the people.” He expressed confidence that discussions at the Bharat Summit would help shape a new political narrative rooted in empathy and harmony, not just for India, but for the world.
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