Mallikarjun Kharge's "Your Friends" Quip At Rahul Gandhi's "Cowards Left Congress" Remark

Rahul Gandhi's interaction with young Congress workers saw a candid exchange between him and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, when Gandhi mentioned several prominent leaders who have quit the party over the years.

Citing the examples of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rahul Gandhi told the young leaders that the Congress was now left with only "lions", after the "cowards and greedy" had walked out.

At this point, Kharge took a light-hearted dig at Gandhi, pointing out that the leaders who had left were all his "friends", sources told NDTV.

During the informal interaction with Congress workers, many of whom had actively participated in recent protests in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Rahul Gandhi also offered an intriguing insight into how he views friendship and enmity in politics.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi told the young leaders that those who were greedy or cowardly, such as Azad and Scindia, had left the party, either out of a desire for perks and security or out of fear of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Rahul Gandhi met IYC, NSUI and Seva Dal workers on Thursday
Photo Credit: Indian Youth Congress

"They were all your friends," Kharge interjected in a light-hearted manner.

Looking slightly embarrassed by the remark, Rahul Gandhi replied: "My sister (Priyanka Gandhi) is sitting right here. She knows that he (Scindia) was not my friend."

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Gandhi then recounted an anecdote about his grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to explain his understanding of political relationships.

"My political training came from my grandmother. Once, I asked her, 'Who is your best friend?' She replied that she had no best friend. I dropped the name of a woman who frequently visited our home, asking, 'Isn't she your best friend?' My grandmother replied, 'No-I might be her best friend, but she is not my best friend.'"

Drawing a lesson from the anecdote, Rahul Gandhi turned to Kharge and said: "I am a political person. Someone who appears to be my friend may not actually be one, and someone who seems to be my enemy may not truly be an enemy. It is very difficult for you to identify who my real friends are."

Scindia, who is now a minister in the Narendra Modi government, left the Congress and joined the BJP in early 2020. He was widely regarded as a close friend of Rahul Gandhi before his exit from the party.

During the interaction, Rahul Gandhi also cited Kharge's example, pointing out that despite missing out on becoming chief minister twice, the Congress president had never compromised on his ideology.

Rahul Gandhi had invited around 60 workers from the Youth Congress, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Seva Dal to the party headquarters for tea. He encouraged them to continue their activism, telling them that protests and struggles were an integral part of their political training.

He urged the young workers to explore new and creative forms of protest. He also suggested holding a demonstration at Jantar Mantar, which the government has since removed from the list of permitted protest venues.

When Gandhi spotted a worker with a plaster cast on his leg, he remarked that it was like a medal for him.

Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the Modi government had only eight to ten months left.