New Delhi, 20 August (H.S.): Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on the 82nd birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, criticised the government over issues concerning young people, the education system and democratic rights, saying that the ideological battle in the country today is about whether one group has decided that it alone knows the truth for the entire nation.

Speaking at an event titled “Hara Bhara Swaraj: A Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi’s Vision”, organised at the Jawahar Bhavan here on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi said that students are being targeted every day because of this mindset.

He said that whenever a student approaches him, he believes that the student understands his or her own truth better than anyone else. His role, he said, is to listen, respect and understand. According to Rahul Gandhi, this represents the real political struggle taking place in the country.

He said that Swaraj is often misunderstood as simply meaning freedom, whereas its deeper meaning is “rule over the self”. He described Swaraj as a responsibility and a way of thinking. Mahatma Gandhi, he said, wanted every individual to follow this path.

Rahul Gandhi said that the responsibility of the government and the country is to open the doors of imagination for young people and help them pursue their aspirations.

He further said that Gandhi’s vision could not be fulfilled as long as education remained expensive, the examination system remained unfair, the financial system was concentrated in the hands of a few and the political system failed to reach every corner of the country.

According to Rahul Gandhi, an unfavourable environment distances people from the idea of Swaraj and alters their natural state of being.

He said the country needs change so that every individual, regardless of religion, caste, age or gender, feels that they belong here, are loved and respected, and that their search for truth has meaning.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar