I first held Jawaharlal Nehru’s hand as a nine-year-old when he gave me a prize — a walkie-talkie doll — for my story in Shankar’s Weekly, the magazine founded by the cartoonist Shankar (Kesava ‘Shankar’ Pillai). “Ye gudiya tumse bhi lambi hai,” he said warmly, handing it to me. Sixty years later, while walking with his great-grandson as the Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through Delhi, I felt something of the same warmth, the same human connection.

In India’s contemporary politics, these two are by far the most demonised politicians. Possibly because they both represent an uncompromising rejection of the Sangh’s majoritarian idea of India.

Rahul Gandhi’s political stand is unambiguous: he positions himself as a defender of the Indian Constitution. Throughout his speeches, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he held the Constitution in his hand, using it as a symbol of what he believes is under threat. His message is simple yet powerful — the constitutional guarantees of equality, justice and fraternity are being systematically eroded, and all citizens must rise to protect them.

The sincerity of his claims resonates with the youth. They see an ally when he raises and amplifies their issues, as the Gen Z protesters, who recently shook up this arrogant government, will vouch.

Unlike older politicians who speak in careful platitudes, Gandhi has openly and repeatedly targeted the RSS–BJP and accused them of undermining democratic institutions. “This is a nexus between the RSS, the BJP and their appointees,” he said in his address to students, accusing the RSS-BJP of destroying India’s education system. For a generation that has grown up witnessing the consolidation of power under the Modi government, such straightforward........

© National Herald