Rahul Gandhi at Georgetown: The Politics of Diaspora Engagement

A recent article of mine published in On the Record, published by the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service: https://ontherecordgu.com/student-opinions/2024/9/29/rahul-gandhi-at-georgetown-the-politics-of-diaspora-engagement-1

***

Jiyon Chatterjee: On September 9th, 2024, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Indian Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, sat down for a conversation in Gonda Theater sponsored by the Georgetown School of Foreign Service (SFS). In a broad-scoped conversation, Gandhi dove deep into his alternative governing vision from that of sitting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He discussed a variety of topics, ranging from the electoral strategy of Gandhi’s Indian National Congress party to hotly debated issues like caste quotas for government jobs in the world’s largest democracy.

Gandhi’s visit to Georgetown was one stop in a three-day barnstorm of Texas and Washington, D.C., and was merely one example of increasingly internationalized battle lines in recent years between the Congress and the BJP. “The coalition that brought Mr. Modi to power has collapsed,” Gandhi emphasized from the very beginning of his conversation, referring to the BJP’s loss of an outright parliamentary majority in the 2024 general election. Given the recent cracks in Modi’s mandate, Gandhi has taken on an even more assertive role in portraying his opposition alliance to Indian voters and diaspora as a viable political alternative.

The Congress sees Gandhi’s foreign engagement trips as an integral part of their long-term push to depose the BJP. “For the first time in human history, we are all connected with internet, web, smartphones; all eight billion people are connected. As a result, local events become global…the boundaries have blurred,” Sam Pitroda, chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, told me in a conversation after the event. Pitroda is uniquely knowledgeable about the power that digital connections hold: he was a business pioneer in India’s telecommunications sector and advised former prime ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh on public information infrastructure during the information and technology (IT) sector boom in India. Pitroda noted that many of the five million individuals of Indian origin in the U.S. “still have families back home, and each one influences 20-50 people back home directly and indirectly.” As such, both Gandhi and Modi have recognized the importance of bringing their respective messages abroad.

Gandhi was keen to highlight substantive differences between himself and the BJP on policy matters, but he was even more emphatic about stylistic differences: much of his talk framed “love” as a practical approach to politics, rather than a mere rhetorical device. “I don’t actually hate Mr. Modi…I don’t agree with his point of view, but I don’t hate him…and I think that’s a much better place to be,” Gandhi remarked. He pointed to his 2023 Bharat Jodo Yatra (trans. “Unite India March”), when he physically walked 2,540 miles to listen to everyday Indians from the southern tip of the country all the way to its northwestern border. Gandhi used this as a practical example of affection’s persuasive power, an alternative to what he viewed as an increasingly divisive, sectarian rhetoric from the ruling Hindu nationalist government. In an age where extremely polarized, vindictive political discourse has become common in democracies like India and America, I believe Gandhi is doing important work in exemplifying a healthier, more compassionate form of political engagement.

Even the format of his foreign visits are intended to draw a contrast with Modi: the BJP’s previous visits to the U.S. have included events like the 2019 “Howdy, Modi” mega rally with President Donald Trump in Houston’s NRG stadium, which drew a crowd of 50,000 people. Gandhi has instead focused on more intimate conversational gatherings, similar to the style of his nationwide Yatra. “The BJP model…is a broadcast model. [Congress’] model is more interactive: we go listen to the people, we interact with the press, with students, with think tanks—BJP doesn’t do that,” Pitroda explained. The hope is that genuine interaction, instead of pomp-and-show, will sway more minds and ingrain new narratives before the next election. “I definitely became more comfortable with the idea of Rahul Gandhi as a future leader of India after this event,” Yajat Gupta (SFS ’27), an Indian-American student from Pennsylvania, commented, “he’s a leader of the people, for the people, and he comes from a place of love, inclusivity, and equality, which is a stark contrast from Modi.”

But not all students at the event were convinced by Gandhi’s approach. Anandita Agarwal (SFS ’28), a Georgetown student from Bengaluru, India, asked Gandhi during the Q&A section of the event about whether he supports implementing a secular Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India, and was disappointed by what she believed was his reticence to provide direct answers. “He talked about ‘love’ being a practical idea, but his entire talk had no practical plans whatsoever…[he was] too scared to define what he stands for,” she said. The question is a relevant one for a political leader who has stressed his commitment to the secularism of India’s constitution, but lacks a specific policy on existing personal laws around the country—for example, concerning divorce, inheritance, and women’s rights—that are dependent on religious scripture rather than a singular civil law. “[Gandhi] defines secularism as respect, which is an amazing ideal to have—but how are you going to translate that into your politics, into your laws?” Agarwal emphasized. Gandhi’s response noted that the BJP has not released any comprehensive draft of a UCC, so he could not comment on it—though he did not indicate whether he supports the concept in theory, or would push an alternative of his own.

Caste was another hot-button issue that came up during the Q&A, and one that Gandhi has been quite eager to center the Opposition’s message around. “The elephant in the room is that 90% of India—OBCs [Otherwise Backward Classes], Dalits, adivasis—they don’t play the game,” Gandhi underlined, highlighting areas including business ownership, judicial participation, and media employment where Indians of historically excluded castes are still heavily underrepresented. He forcefully advocated for a nationwide caste census to gain a detailed understanding of the financial and social position of Indians by caste, in order to better respond with policy. The BJP has opposed conducting such a census. Gandhi coupled this proposal with a broader critique of the BJP’s economic policy, which he criticized for favoring India’s richest at the expense of the country’s masses. This message resonated with Gupta: “While it’s true Modi has presided over a period of immense economic growth, I don’t think the majority of Indian citizens are actually receiving any of it.” Gandhi, however, was asked in the Q&A about existing caste reservations for government jobs, and whether he believes such quotas have been merely addressing a symptom of caste inequality rather than the underlying systemic causes. Though he pushed back against this view and defended the reservations currently in place, he did not articulate whether he supported expanding quotas to improve participation or reducing them in the long-run.

The event was a valuable opportunity for Indians and Indian-origin students to engage with their home country’s democracy, with Gandhi making the protection of India’s Constitution and its democratic institutions a centerpiece of his message. “The younger generation [of Indians] is definitely waking up to BJP rule and how much it can impact our freedom,” Agarwal pointed out. Gandhi was clear-eyed about the challenges his opposition faces, identifying the BJP’s freezing of Congress’ campaign funds as part of an authoritarian streak. “The institutions are captured [by the BJP] and we don’t have a fair playing field; the education system is captured, the media system is captured, the investigative agencies are captured,” he stressed. A transparent, uncensored discussion with students abroad seems a way of countering such roadblocks. Gupta came out of the event confident that Gandhi could overcome such challenges. “Rahul Gandhi wants to fight for the average and underprivileged person, retain India’s secularism, and unite the country,” he said. “Sounds much better than Modi to me.”