Rahul Gandhi at Bharat Summit 2025: “Politics Must Shift from Fear to Listening to People”

Hyderabad, 26th April 2025: Senior Congress Leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi delivered a powerful address reflecting on the changing nature of democratic politics around the world. He called for a political shift from fear and hatred to listening, empathy, and love.

“Democratic politics has fundamentally changed. The rules that applied a decade ago don’t work anymore,” Gandhi said, pointing to how concentrated capital and media control have reshaped the political landscape.

“This is the new politics—where the opposition is not engaged with but crushed. All our avenues were compromised, including the media. That’s when we reached back into history and decided to walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir—a 4,000-kilometre journey.”

Reflecting on his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi shared two key lessons: “First, our opponents have a monopoly on anger and fear—we cannot fight them on that ground. But during the yatra, I discovered the transformative power of listening. I spoke less and listened more, and that changed everything.”

He also shared a moving story of a woman who joined the yatra despite fears of domestic violence, highlighting the importance of truly hearing people’s struggles. “Our opposition believes they know all the answers. But it is the people who know what needs to be done—and we must listen,” he said.

The second lesson, he said, was about embracing love in politics. “Until the yatra, I had never used the word ‘love’ in politics. But once I did, people began to respond. Love and affection can disrupt hate more powerfully than any argument.”

Rahul Gandhi concluded by saying, “Disagreements on policy will always exist. But while their lens is anger, hatred, and fear, our lens must be love, affection, and deep listening. I am confident this summit will help build the ideas we need for a new kind of politics in India and the world.”

Agreeing with the vision of the Bharat Summit, Senior German politician Lars Klingbeil of the Social Democratic Party said, “The topics being discussed at the Bharat Summit are closely related to the issues we are facing in Germany. Our international rules-based order has come under great pressure. There are attempts to disrupt this order and to replace the ‘rule of law’ with the ‘rule of might.’ These developments must stop.”

Wayne Swan, National President of the Labor Party and former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, said, “We believe in the power of public policy to change people’s lives. In this era of hyper-individualism and the growing influence of oligarchs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure economic equality.”

He also added that party activism has never been more important, particularly in the face of rising fascism and the concentration of power among oligarchs in countries like the United States.

Telangana Chief Minister Shri Revanth Reddy, addressing international delegates, showcased his government’s progressive welfare policies. “We have implemented the largest farmer debt waiver in India—Rs 20,674 crore—and provide over Rs 20,000 crore annually in agricultural subsidies,” he said. Highlighting women’s empowerment, he added, “Our women entrepreneurs are competing with Adani and Ambani.”

Deputy Chief Minister Shri Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka noted that the presence of over 450 international delegates had provided the right platform to exchange ideas on global justice and peace, in alignment with Rahul Gandhi’s vision of NYAY.

In a significant milestone, Congress leaders and global delegates collectively adopted the Hyderabad Resolution, a 44-point agenda under the theme ‘Delivering Global Justice’. The resolution reaffirms a shared commitment to the values of freedom, equality, justice, and solidarity, uniting social-democratic, socialist, and labour movements from around the world. Key agenda items include reshaping the economic paradigm, advancing environmental justice, striving for gender equality and social inclusion, defending democracy and social justice, working for peace and human security, and reforming global institutions.