Rahul Gandhi, the newly appointed Congress Vice President
called for a deep and effective change in the system of governance and
administration. "An impatient, young India wants change," said Rahul
Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi on his maiden speech after taking over the new
assignment, won a standing ovation when he narrated how his mother had come to
him last night and cried. "She cried because she understands the power so
many seek is a poison. She can see it because she is not attached to it. We
should not chase power for the attributes of power, we should only use it to
empower the voiceless," Mr Gandhi said, to much applause.
The young Congress
leader tore into a system that that he said was dominated by mediocrity,
"excludes knowledge" and centralises "power grossly. "A
system where a handful of people in power made decisions that affected the aam
aadmi, was a flawed system, argued Rahul Gandhi. The answer, he said, was not
in the running the system better, but in "a complete transformation of the
system" to give the common man a role in the political space. "We
don't empower people at the bottom. People feel they are outside of the system...why
people are angry...because they are alienated from the system. Their voices are
trampled upon," Rahul Gandhi said. And he explained how his party, the
Congress, had already put in place building blocks to enable that change.
Rahul Gandhi began his speech in English, switched to Hindi,
and then spoke in English again. He was in turn oratorical and conversational.
He took a dig at the people who are corrupt but stand up and talk of
eradicating corruption" or "people who disrespect women but talk of
women's rights". He also promised that his party will "support every
Indian."
