On his first visit to Amethi post his defeat, Rahul Gandhi calls for collective responsibility and organisational revamp
As Rahul Gandhi arrived to meet party workers, it poured in Amethi—the gloomy weather reflecting the mood in the Congress. It was his first visit to the constituency since his shocking defeat to BJP’s Smriti Irani in the Lok Sabha polls.
A few hundred party workers attended the meeting on July 9, braving the incessant rains to reach Nirmala Institute of Women’s Education in Gauriganj. The perfunctory slogans in praise of Rahul were raised as he walked in. But the feeling of dejection was unmistakable on both ends of the dais.
Those who attended the closeddoor meeting said Rahul smiled, but his face betrayed a deep sense of hurt. He spoke with a lot of emotion, they said, assuring workers that his association with Amethi was intact despite the defeat. “Sadak se sansad tak aapki ladai ladunga, aapke muddon ko uthata rahunga (I will fight on your behalf, from the streets to Parliament. I will keep raising your issues),” he told them. “Whenever you need me, I will be here, be it day or night.”
He described his visit to Amethi as “homecoming”, underlining the traditional connect the Gandhi family has had with the constituency. In return, workers implored him to stay on as Congress president.
While the main aim behind the visit was to reassure workers about his continued association with Amethi, Rahul firmly told local functionaries that the defeat reflected on them as much as it did on him, and that they, too, had to shoulder the responsibility for the loss. He also hinted at the need for a change in the way the organisation worked here.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 21, 2019-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 21, 2019-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Angry, Young America
Campus protests against the Gaza war continue to linger as students demand a realignment of US ties with Israel
We need to engage more with communities
Designer Aratrik Dev Varman of the label Tilla has long been a lover of history. One could comfortably call him part-aesthete, part-archeologist, for his clothes dip into vintage styles of the Kutch, Sindh, Balochistan and Afghanistan, bringing alive antique styles and crafts. Tilla, the store and atelier, are situated on a tree-lined avenue in Ahmedabad.
The great luxury slowdown
A year or so ago, if anyone had told me that Tommy Hilfiger would have stolen the show at New York’s Met Gala, I would have laughed. But it seems the end of giant luxury labels is upon us even before we expected it. The American ready-to-wear designer Tommy Hilfiger seems to have created the maximum media buzz at the 2024 Met Gala, according to several data analytics firms.
RAP BRINGS RAPTURE
How indie artistes, especially hip-hoppers, are driving the phenomenal rise of Malayalam music
Employability issues are a narrative created by the corporate world
Prof Yogesh Singh is the 23rd vice chancellor of the century-old University of Delhi (DU). An engineer with a PhD in computer engineering, Singh has an impressive track record of teaching, innovation and research in the area of software engineering. He has more than 250 publications and his book, Software Testing, published by the Cambridge University Press, is well-received internationally. In an interview with THE WEEK, Singh talks about trends in higher education in India, the challenges faced by big universities, and how to make higher education more interesting. Asked about the perception that Indian graduates are “not employable”, he reacts strongly, and emphasises the difference between training and higher education. Edited excerpts:
SERVING WITH DISTINCTION
Conceived as a university like no other, Jawaharlal Nehru University became India's best. Here is how
Mandela Effect and Liar's Dividend
The complex tapestry of AI's impact on society
The other Sabyasachi
I am Sabyasachi Mukherjee, not to be confused with my namesake, the celebrated fashion couturier, declared the venerated director-general of Mumbai’s pride, George Wittet’s Indo-Saracenic jewel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum.
THE MANGO HUNTERS
'Naadan Maavukal' started out as a Facebook group, but what it does offline has helped conserve many indigenous varieties of mangoes
BJP LEADERS, TOO, HAVE HAD ENOUGH
Farmers’ protest has taken the centre stage in Haryana, which goes to the polls on May 25. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is confident that the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, will regain its hold on the state. “People who voted for the BJP are disappointed today. It is clear that they want change,” he told THE WEEK.