Beef lynching, Modi ruining economy, journalist's killing: What Rahul said in his UC Berkeley speech

In an address to students of University of California, Berkeley, titled 'India at 70: Reflections on the Path Forward', Rahul Gandhi began by paying homage to all those who lost their lives in WTC terror attack on September 9, 2011. He cited the instance of tsunami that had hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2004. He explained how tribals in the area had survived due to their prior knowledge of the mechanism of the tsunami. He compared this event to prevailing socio-political conditions in India, where the citizens are seeking easy answers to problems.

He spoke on a variety of topics ranging from India's transition to a nation, its efforts to incorporate elements of modern nationhood, its success in lifting people out of poverty and its acceptance of democratic values. He concluded by highlighting what he saw as dangers that India faces under the NDA regime.

He said that the an atmosphere of debate, discussion and dialogue is currently missing in India. He attributed this to the dominance of the right-wing politics in India.


Indian diversity
He spoke about the complexities of India as a country and the diversity that it provides. He said most western scholars had predicted that India as a country would not survive. He also invoked the concepts of non-violence or ahimsa and attributed it to India's growth over the years. He spoke how this idea of "non-violence" was fashioned by Mahatma Gandhi as a political weapon.

He also said that the common conception that the people have ideas, was reversed beautifully by Mahatma Gandhi, when he tried to depict that ideas have people. This formed the basis of the notion of non-violence. He said that this idea of non-violence is under attack in India.



Historical progress
He cited India's post-independent history, when its path to a modern nation was replete with difficulties and struggle. Tragic events like Partition and large- scale migration had an adverse impact. Despite such hardships, Rahul said, India made significant strides in various aspects of nation-building such as science, development and continued growth.

He said the opposition ridiculed efforts of Rajiv Gandhi and his technical advisor Sam Pitroda to usher in the IT revolution in India. He said it was similar to criticism India underwent when it built IIT's when many had questioned why a poor country like India should waste its resources on such technical institutions. He said how these institutions today play a central role in providing the manpower to the silicon valley.

He said that despite unending scepticism, there is no other democratic country in the world that has uplifted such a big mass of humanity out of poverty. He said it was done peacefully and collectively. He said if given a chance, India has the potential to wipe out poverty completely, an achievement which the entire human race can be proud of.

He also spoke about the continued GDP growth which India has witnessed over the past few years. He laid emphasis on how job creation is paramount in a country like India. He said roughly 12 million young people enter the job market every year. He compared India's democratic institutions with coercive state apparatus of China. He said India has to create jobs in a democratic manner unlike Chinese tactics of state-driven coercion.

Job creation
He said jobs in India would come from small and medium-scale industry. He said in the current economic model in India, everything from banking to offering permissions is geared to suit the top few industrial houses. The laws are shaped by the big players and the government always has its doors open for them, he said. He also spoke on concerns regarding privacy in India.

Current atmosphere
As Rahul ended his speech, he said the negatives that are arising can truly destroy the country. The polarisation campaign has turned its ugly head which has the potential to completely annihilate our long peaceful processes, he said. He cited examples of liberal journalists being shot, lynching becoming common and religious minorities constantly undergoing persecution. He said this has the potential to damage social fabric. He also questioned demonetisation which he said was done "unilaterally".