Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
| Picture Credit score: Sushil Kumar Verma

Economic system is rising however the wealth is getting concentrated in a number of fingers and the problem of unemployment continues, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi stated in an interplay with some college students of Harvard College.

The previous Congress president on December 23 shared on X a video of the interplay held on December 15, and stated, “My recommendation to all college students — True energy comes from connecting with individuals, listening deeply to what they’re saying, and being type to your self.”

Requested about financial development within the final 10 years in the course of the interplay, the Congress chief stated, “Whenever you discuss financial growth you need to ask the query in whose curiosity is that financial growth.”

“The query to ask is, what’s the nature of that development and who’s benefiting from that. Proper subsequent to the determine of development in India, you’ve got the determine of unemployment in India. So India’s rising, however the way in which it is rising is by massively concentrating wealth in the direction of only a few individuals,” he stated.

“We’re working on a debt kind of mannequin and we’re not producing. The actual problem in India is how can we arrange a manufacturing economic system that is ready to give giant numbers of individuals jobs. We’ve two or three companies which are just about whole companies,” he stated.

“We’ve Mr. Adani, all people is aware of he’s straight related to the prime minister, he owns all our ports, airports, our infrastructure! With that form of focus, you’re going to get development however you’ll not get any distribution,” he stated.

Requested why this has not translated into an electoral final result or mobilisation of individuals, Gandhi there’s a huge mobilisation however there’s a requirement for an “infrastructure to struggle an election”.

“…you want a good media, truthful authorized system, truthful election fee, entry to finance, establishments which are impartial. Think about a United States the place the IRS, the FBI, their full time job is destroying the lives of the opposition. So that is the paradigm we’re in. I did not stroll 4,000 kilometers as a result of I like strolling 4,000 kilometers. I walked 4,000 kilometers as a result of there was no different strategy to get our message throughout,” he stated, referring to his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

“Even my social media is totally capped. I’ve obtained a shadow ban 24/7…my Twitter’s beneath management, my YouTube is beneath management and I am not alone, your entire opposition…. I do not suppose India is operating a free and truthful democracy anymore…,” he stated.

He stated caste is an actual drawback within the nation and likened it to “apartheid”.

The Congress chief additionally accused the BJP-led central authorities of not treating India as a union of states, however as a nation with “one ideology, one faith, one language”.

“So that they kill the negotiation, they attempt to seize the establishments. In order that’s actually the political struggle in India proper now,” he stated.

“We really feel if you happen to finish the negotiation in India, the dialog between the union India collapses, India tears itself aside. So you’ll be able to see that Manipur is burning, you’ll be able to see Jammu and Kashmir is burning. You possibly can see Tamil Nadu has an issue…,” he stated.

He stated a “full scale civil warfare” is happening in Manipur.

In response to a query on India’s relations with Russia, he stated, “A stable Russian-Chinese language alliance is an actual drawback for the US. We’ve historically had a relationship with Russia. Being an ally of the US or a associate of the US…doesn’t suggest we do not discuss to anybody else.”

Requested about his expertise from the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he stated, “I realised what is known as the politician within the West and in India is mainly lifeless. It is a class that has collapsed on itself.”

“…Large a part of why the politician is lifeless is that he’s not listening anymore. Politician has gone right into a zone the place he simply desires to please in any respect prices,” he added.