Rahul Gandhi recently connected with Gen Z through an engaging 'Ask Me Anything' session on Instagram, offering candid responses on student protests, his views on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and even his philosophy on pet ownership.
Key Points
- Rahul Gandhi held an 'Ask Me Anything' session on Instagram, engaging with Gen Z on various topics, from serious political questions to witty personal queries.
- He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the handling of student protests, referencing 'panicked prime minister' videos.
- Gandhi expressed his philosophy on pet ownership, stating that humans share spaces with animals rather than owning them, while featuring his mother's dog, Noorie.
- He named Captain Amarinder Singh as his favourite BJP politician, citing their rapport and Singh's expertise in military history.
- The initiative follows Gandhi's recent interactions with protesting students and aligns with a broader political trend of leaders using Instagram to connect with younger audiences.
Are you Batman, was the poser. And Rahul Gandhi answered, equally straight up, sidestepping any comparison to the caped crusader: "Let's just say that no one has ever seen me and Batman in the same room together."
'Ask Me Anything', the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said Thursday night in a fresh outreach to Gen Z. And they did, the questions pouring in right through the session on Instagram. Some serious, others casual and witty. The Congress leader answered accordingly, cheeky and candid in turn.
Views on Student Protests and PM Modi
To a question on the student protest in Jharkhand, Gandhi said every government should listen to what students are saying. Asked about his favourite meme from the student protests last month, Gandhi took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I think the videos that came out of the PM house at midnight, those were the best, showing a new panicked prime minister," he said.
On Pet Ownership and Family
The former Congress president had got his mother's dog for some part of the interaction streamed live. To a query on what is his favourite thing about being a dog parent, Gandhi said he is not one but his mother has a dog named Noorie. "I am not a dog parent. I think we share spaces with animals, with all living beings. I don't think we own them, I think they are on this planet with us and they deserve respect, love and affection," Gandhi said.
"Yes Noorie, do you agree with me? This is Noorie, she is my mum's dog. My mum will be very angry that I put her on video but too bad. So I will deal with that problem when it arises," Gandhi said with the dog in his lap.
Political Preferences and Philosophies
Who is your favourite politician from the BJP? Gandhi quickly named Captain Amarinder Singh, who switched from the Congress to the BJP in 2022. "I get along with him, he is cool. He is an expert on military history¦ Hello, uncle Amarinder," Gandhi said, setting off speculation over whether the veteran leader could make his way back to the Congress ahead of the Punjab elections.
Posting a link to his Instagram initiative on X, Gandhi said on Thursday, "Students, Gen-Z -- I'm here to listen. Ask me anything on Instagram, and I'll answer as many questions as I can." The Congress also put out video clips of some of the questions he answered.
To a question on which philosophy interests him the most, Gandhi said, "All the different philosophies that have shaped our Constitution from Lord Buddha, Guru Nanak Dev, Basavanna ji, Sankardev ji Dharti Abba, Birsa Munda, Periyar, Mahatma Phule, Narayana Guru ji, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Gandhiji, and so many more."
Context of the Outreach
The initiative comes after Gandhi met a group of students who had protested last month seeking then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak and were at the receiving end of the police crackdown on July 20. On Wednesday, Gandhi alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was responsible for the violence against protesting youngsters and that he does not have the courage to explain in Parliament what happened with the students.
Gandhi has been regularly posting snippets from his interaction with students and parents on Instagram recently. Over weeks, Instagram has emerged as a key political messaging platform among the political leaders, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading a coordinated push to woo Gen Z, joined by several Union ministers and ruling party leaders.
Amarinder Reacts To Gandhi Remark
Reacting to Gandhi's remark, Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday said it was nice of Rahul Gandhi to speak well of him.
He said he has known Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi since they were children and their father and former prime minister late Rajeev Gandhi was his classmate and a friend.
Amarinder said, everywhere across the world, except in India, personal relationships are separate from one's political commitments.
He said, while his personal and family relations with Rahul and his mother Sonia Gandhi will always be there, politically he remains committed to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Amarinder recalled that in 1980 he was a Congress MP, while his mother, late Maharani Mohinder Kaur, was an MP from a rival party.
"Would that mean I won't be getting along well with my mother?" he asked.
Pritpal Singh Baliawal, senior spokesperson of Punjab BJP, said, "Capt sahab is the tallest leader in Punjab".
Baliawal said, but Gandhi is remembering Capt Amarinder when the grand old party faces "severe infighting and bickerings" in its Punjab unit. Congress is a sinking ship, he added.
Referring to the circumstances which led to Amarinder Singh's exit from the Congress in 2021 when he was Punjab chief minister, Baliawal said Gandhi should also remember that time when he did not feel "Capt Amarinder was cool, a leader or an uncle".
"At that time, Gandhi did not value Capt sahab's contributions for Punjab or even the service which he had also rendered for the grand old party. Now, when Congress is witnessing severe infighting and bickering and the Congress ship is sinking, Gandhi is remembering Amarinder Uncle," Baliawal said.
When reporters here asked Congress leader Rana Gurjit Singh about Gandhi's remark, he said both leaders have family relations and said the former CM was a respected leader.
Asked if he wishes Amarinder should return to Congress, Rana Gurjit said, "I don't wish anything". He then added Amarinder should not have left Congress.
"Had he stayed he would have been like a father figure where everyone would have consulted him on various issues," he said.
When Amarinder was in the Congress, he was one of the strongest regional satraps of the party and had steered the Congress in 2017 to a landslide victory in the 117-member assembly to become the Punjab chief minister for the second time.
He resigned from the CM's post and quit the Congress in 2021 due to infighting in the party's state unit, and formed a new party, Punjab Lok Congress (PLC), which he later merged with the BJP after the PLC failed to win any seat in the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.
Singh's wife and former MP Preneet Kaur, son Raninder Singh and daughter Jai Inder Kaur are now also with the BJP.
In 2019, when he was with the Congress and chief minister of Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh, while wishing Gandhi on his birthday, had tweeted and said, "Wish you a very happy birthday, dear @RahulGandhi. Proud of who you have become over the years; I see my dear friend (late) Rajiv (Gandhi) in you".
In December last year, Amarinder Singh had said he still felt hurt by the manner in which he was removed as chief minister when he was with the Congress. "The question of joining Congress does not arise," he had then said in an interview with PTI Videos.
However, he had said he would always help Congress leader Sonia Gandhi if she asked, although "not politically".
Amarinder Singh had also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had "special affection for Punjab" and "would do anything for the state".
He had urged the people of Punjab to consider the BJP for "stability", saying India's security and Punjab's interests were linked.
