Rahul’s presence is humble assurance of democracy to the country!

Shravan Garg

Barack Obama should be requested to visit India once again for a few days to see how Rahul Gandhi, whom he would have met for the last time, and India have changed so much in the last eight years! After returning to America, Obama should write a new book which focuses only on Rahul! The Rahul Gandhi mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his book ‘My Friend Barack’ published after his last visit to India has been replaced by a new Rahul and it is possible that the former US President may not have complete knowledge of him!

Obama has been a fan of only Dr Manmohan Singh in India. Such an ardent fan that he made Dr Singh his first state guest during his first tenure (2009-2013). When Obama was praising Dr Singh in a grand ceremony at the White House, the eminent personalities from across America and India who had come to Washington were listening to both the leaders while standing. One and a half decade has passed since that incident. I was also present then as a member of the team of journalists who had accompanied Dr Singh on the trip. The comments Obama made about Rahul Gandhi in his famous book ‘A Promised Land’ published some five years ago gave a weapon to Modi government ministers, ‘Godi Media’ and bhakts to attack this young leader. In the book, Obama has mentioned the dinner in which Rahul was also present along with Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.
In the 980 page long book, a five line comment on Rahul Gandhi is as follows: ‘……about Rahul Gandhi, he appeared smart and enthusiastic. His handsome personality matched that of his mother. In our conversation, he expressed his progressive views on politics. From time to time, he also asked me about my election campaign of 2008 but appeared nervous and unformed. As if a student has not done his homework properly either due to lack of skill or deep passion for the subject but wants to impress the teacher.’

The subsequent propaganda by vested interests about what was written in the book was like this: ‘He has the qualities of a nervous and immature student who has done his homework and is trying to impress the teacher but if looked at deeply, he lacks aptitude and passion to master a subject.’

Today on 19 June Rahul is 55 years old. Obama will be 65 in August. Obama last visited India in December 2017 when Trump was the President of America. In the last eight years, America has changed and so has India. Rahul Gandhi has also played a big role in changing India. In his new book, Obama will now have to write about that Rahul Gandhi who neither lacks skills nor is nervous. Obama, being a black leader and President, would be more aware of either Mahatma Gandhi’s 1930 ‘Dandi March’ or Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic ‘Washington March’ of August 1963 and the 54 kilometer long march from Selma to Montgomery (Alabama) in 1965 which was completed in five days.
Obama will now have to mention the ‘Promised Land’ of Rahul’s dreams in his new book. He will have to write about those two historical journeys which were of thousands of kilometers. One of them was completed on foot. From Kanyakumari to Kashmir. The other was by bus. From Manipur to Mumbai.

Obama will have to write about that Rahul Gandhi, to see, hear and touch whom thousands of people stand for hours on both sides of the roads. The Rahul who has infused new life into the scattered opposition as well as the people. He has united the soul of the country. He has courageously stopped the government from climbing the ladder of authoritarianism. Obama will have to write that Rahul’s presence in India is a humble assurance of democracy against authoritarianism.