October 10: Rahul Gandhi in a turban at a rally in Sangrur
, campaigning in Punjab today, offered a ringing endorsement of the Prime Minister, whose authority he has been accused of sharply undermining recently.
"I have two gurus in politics. The Prime Minister and the Congress president," he said, referring to his mother, Sonia, who heads his party.
Mr Gandhi also shared a childhood memory to connect with voters.
"My father was a pilot," the Congress vice-president said. His father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated in 1991. "When Priyanka and I were children, my mother would sometimes tell us she was worried about him reporting to work when the weather was rough. When the woman of the house is tense, the whole family's equilibrium is lost," he said.
"In Punjab, every mother is worried when her young sons leave the house because drug addiction is rampant here," Mr Gandhi alleged, repeating a view that had triggered a controversy last year. The state's ruling Akali Dal had slammed him for his comment that "seven out of 10 youth in Punjab are drug addicts."
Mr Gandhi used today's speech to once again defend his scathing public attack on an ordinance that protected convicted MPs from being evicted from parliament. The executive order had been cleared by the Prime Minister, but was withdrawn by the government after the young leader's fierce criticism. "I was told that people support your stand," Mr Gandhi said, "but your timing was wrong."
(Cabinet withdraws ordinance on convicted lawmakers)The opposition had attacked Mr Gandhi for insulting the Prime Minister and eroding his authority while he was in the US for politically strategic meetings with President Obama and Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif.
(Ordinance row: Sonia Gandhi used Rahul for damage control, but President saved the day, says Advani)
"Is there a correct time to speak the truth?" Mr Gandhi countered. "This is the problem with politics today. You have to think about when to share the truth. I want to change that."