Finally, Rahul admits Modi is a 'better communicator', but his urge to speak continues

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi spoke at a university in the US. In his speech, Rahul attacked PM Narendra Modi. He added that Modi was a better communicator.

Washington, Sep 12: First, let us congratulate Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for an 'honest and a candid' address at the famous University of California, Berkeley, in the United States at 7 am (IST) on Tuesday.

It's rare to see Rahul at his oratory best and the Congress must be heaving a sigh of relief to see the scion of Gandhi family trying his hands in "communication" (which is one of Rahul's weakest points).

It is another matter that Rahul decided to "break his silence" on a foreign shore, nonetheless it is a noteworthy effort on his part to talk on topics the opposition parties have been raising back in the country with good amount of eloquence.

Of late, we have seen Rahul on Twitter attacking the Narendra Modi government over various issues--the most recent one was the murder of Bengaluru-based journalist and activist, Gauri Lankesh.

Still, Rahul could not match with the great communication skills of Prime Minister Modi. Thus, the scion of the Gandhi family has always faced the wrath of public for being "hesitant and unprepared".

Rahul's address-- India at 70: Reflections on the Path Forward--which saw a large participation by young students, focused on current issues concerning India, which included demonetisation, Goods and Services Taxes (GST) and politics of polarisation, to name a few.

Rahul's speech was given a huge 'thumbs-up' by none other than Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who has the gift of the gab. Tharoor, who was present in the audience during Rahul's speech, tweeted, "A speech marked by acuity and passion, and a discussion infused with candour and insight #RGinUS @UCBerkeley."

On expected lines, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Rahul for his speech. The BJP's Sambit Patra called the Congress VP "deplorable" for "slamming his own country" while abroad.

Patra added that Rahul's comments showed his "frustration" and said he was "astonished" by them.

Perhaps, Patra has forgotten that even Modi on foreign shores spoke against opposition parties, which was slammed by the Congress back then. This is what we call "flip-flops" by political parties, be it the BJP or the Congress.

Rahul, legendary for his goof-ups in public spaces, showed us a rare side of himself at the foreign soil where he in spite of making scathing attacks on Modi (Rahul's favourite bête noire), admitted without mincing any words that the PM was a "much better communicator" than him.

"Mr Modi has certain skills. He is a very good communicator, much better than me," said Rahul. "He (Modi) knows how to give a message to three-four different groups in a crowd, so his messaging ability is very effective and subtle," added Rahul.

Before the start of his address, Sikh protesters gathered outside the campus of the university. However, that did not stop the event from starting. Before speaking, Rahul paid homage to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack.

"India is a massive country and is also one of the most complex countries. Everyone who thinks he/she knows India faces surprises every once in a while.... She keeps throwing new surprises," Rahul said.

"We have 29 states, covering every religion in the world. We have 17 official languages and hundreds of dialects. We have different terrains too. Most experts didn't expect India to survive; they predicted it will be torn apart. But India came out standing straight and tall."

Speaking about current "politics of polarisation", Rahul said, "The idea of non-violence is under attack today, yet it is only idea which can take humanity forward. Hatred, anger and violence can destroy us, the politics of polarisation is dangerous. Liberal journalists are being shot, people are being lynched. These incidents are making millions feel that they have no future in their country."

He criticised the Modi government over demonetisation and the GST and stressed on the need to create jobs in the country. In his entire address, which was followed by a question and answer round, Rahul tried to dwell on important subjects concerning India.

It's definitely a good sign that Rahul is talking and not keeping quiet like Modi. At least, Rahul has the urge to speak at a time when the nation is waiting for a strong opposition voice to counter the "majoritarian narrative" developed by the BJP and its supporters.

But we still don't know whether that one voice will be Rahul or some other political leader.

OneIndia News