Rahul Gandhi calls for change in system

Newly appointed Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said it was time to repair a broken system of governance in his first speech. Rahul Gandhi was elevated as Congress vice-president at athe chintan shivir in Jaipur on Jan. 19. With 15 months for next general elections, Rahul Gandhi asked the partymen to use the power to hear the voice of the people.

 “The time has come to question the centralized, unresponsive, unaccountable systems of decision-making,” Rahul Gandhi told his partymen. “There is a young and impatient India and it is demanding a greater voice in the nation’s future and they are not going to watch silently.”

In an emotional 45-minute speech, Rahul Gandhi thanked the party for appointing him, stressed the need to eradicate corruption and said there should be a greater decentralization of power away from government. He talked about the assassination of his grandmother, former Premier Indira Gandhi, and how his mother cried in his room the night before his appointment, warning him of the dangers of political power.

Rahul Gandhi said voters are fed up with “people who are corrupt talking about eradicating corruption, and people who disrespect women every day talking about women’s rights,” reflecting on two issues that have sparked street protests over the last 18 months.

Rahul Gandhi has focused on issues facing India’s poor and how to make economic growth more inclusive, throwing his weight behind a bill to raise compensation for farmers’ land when it’s acquired for industry or roads. Rahul Gandhi’s decision to accept the new job is a big development as it sends a clear signal that the youth will get more involvement in Congress politics.