New Delhi: Launching a sharp ideological attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the organization of trying to impose its version of the “truth” on 1.5 billion Indians, emphasizing that only individuals have the right to define their own paths.
Speaking at the “Hara Bhara Swaraj: A Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi’s Vision” event in the national capital, Gandhi contrasted the RSS’s philosophy with Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of ‘Swaraj’ (self-rule).
He stated that the fundamental ideological battle in India today is not primarily about the environment, politics, or a free media, but about a small group controlling the system and believing they know everyone’s truth. “The RSS has decided that they know the truth of 1.5 billion people. And I say, no. Only 1.5 billion people can know their own truth,” Gandhi asserted, adding that even he could not claim to know another person’s truth because everyone faces unique life experiences.
Pointing to Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, titled My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi noted that it was intentionally not titled The Truth or My Understanding of the Truth. He stressed that everyone has their own experiments with their respective truths.
Accusing the BJP and RSS of creating a sense of exclusion among various communities, Gandhi said such actions are harming the nation. He claimed that minorities—including Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs—are being told they do not exist and face consequences if they speak up, while Adivasis face land displacement and Dalits are told everything is fine with the caste system. He emphasized that every single person, regardless of religion, community, or gender, must feel they belong and can walk freely in the country.
Explaining the distinction between the Western concept of freedom and the Indian concept of Swaraj, Gandhi drew a comparison using former US President Donald Trump and Mahatma Gandhi. He stated that Swaraj means self-governance or “rule over oneself.”
He noted that while someone like Trump in America might be considered a free man, he does not rule over himself. Conversely, Mahatma Gandhi, while imprisoned 80 years ago, was not free in the Western sense but exercised Swaraj because he ruled over himself. Gandhi concluded that Swaraj carries deep responsibility as an individual project and a personal relationship with the universe that cannot simply be granted by someone else.
