After breaking his silence on his disqualification as an MP, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi asserted that it is an advantage to him as it allows him to redefine himself which the BJP is not realising.
"My disqualification in many ways is a advantage to me because it opens up completely new spaces for me, allows me to completely redefine myself. I think they have given me a gift frankly and they don't think they are realising it," he said on Thursday.
"Politics is not linear, it completely goes off in one direction, its asymmetric. So I think that they have given me a gift, its apparent right now... they have," the former MP added.
Gandhi was disqualified as an MP in March this year after a Surat court convicted him in the Modi surname case.
On Wednesday, Gandhi while speaking at the Stanford University had said that he had "never imagined" that he would get maximum punishment in a defamation case and would be disqualified as an MP, but asserted that it has given him a lot of opportunity to work.
Referring to his introduction as a former MP, the Congress leader had said, "I heard in the introduction that I was a member of Parliament until I was... (disqualified)."
"I don't think when I joined politics in 2004, I ever imagined what I see going on in our country. It was way outside the way I imagined. To be the first person to be given the first maximum sentence on defamation and maximum sentence to get disqualified. I didn't imagine that something like this was possible," the former Wayanad Lok Sabha MP said.
He also has to vacate his official residence following the disqualification as an MP on April 22.
He will not be eligible to contest elections for eight years till the time a higher court stays his conviction and sentence.
"But then I think it's actually given me a huge opportunity, a much bigger opportunity I would have in Parliament. That is the way politics works," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader is scheduled to meet several people during his visit to the US in coming days in Washington D.C. and New York.
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BJP polarises society, not inclusive & is damaging India: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has once again launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led Central government, saying that the ruling party polarises society and are not inclusive and that is damaging India.
Addressing the media here on Thursday, the former MP said: "They sought to generate a certain amount of hate, polarise society and they are not inclusive."
Criticising the BJP, he alleged: "They brace everybody and divide society and that's damaging India."
He said that India has a tradition of conversation of openness.
Citing examples of great leaders, spiritual and political personalities, he added that they (Congress) promoted peace, harmony and conversation.
"So its in our culture, tradition and history to bring people together and have these dialogues and I think it is the difference between us (Congress) and them (BJP). We feel that India should be allowed to express and we feel that political leaders should be comfortable when questioned and should learn from that question. It's just the difference," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader was responding to a query when asked that the BJP engages in hatred and violence.
To another query about the press freedom in India and the arrest of a senior journalist on charges of espionage, Gandhi said, "I think there is a weakening of press freedom and it is not hidden and it is apparent in India, the rest of the world can see it."
Asserting that press freedom is very important for India, he said, "One should be open to criticism and one should listen to criticism and that's the feedback that builds democracy. On multiple access there is a clampdown on institutions that allowed the Indian people to talk and negotiate. I view India as a negotiation between people, different languages, different cultures etc. and architectures that Mahatma Gandhi set up was to allow that negotiation to be carried out fairly and freely."
"And that structure that allows the negotiation between India's people is going under pressure," he added.
To another query on the Opposition unity, the Congress leader, who is on a six-day visit to the US, said, "The opposition is pretty well united, and its getting more and more united."
He noted that "we are having conversations with all the opposition".
"I think quite a lot of good work is happening there. Its a complicated discussion because there are spaces where we are competing with the opposition. So a bit of give and take is required. But I am confident it will happen," Gandhi said on the Opposition unity.
Asked about the Citizenship law, the former Congress Chief added that he thinks that all Indian people have a right to expression, religious freedom.
"All should feel free to express themselves. I don't differentiate between any community and any caste. I think India is a conversation and the freer and more open the conversation becomes, India will become more powerful," he noted.
Gandhi is also scheduled to participate in several programmes during his US tour.
He has already delivered a lecture at the Stanford University and also interacted with the Indian diaspora in San Francisco.
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Results of upcoming Assembly polls indicator of what's going to happen: Rahul
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has said that there is a definite capture of institutions and media in India and the result of Karnataka and the next upcoming Assembly elections will be an "indicator" of what is going to happen as there is anger within people.
Addressing media here at the National Press Club, Gandhi on Thursday said, "There is a definite capture of institution and press. I am not convinced that... I don't believe everything I hear. I walked across India and walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and talked directly to millions of Indians and they don't seem to be very happy."
"They were very clear they were serious about issues of unemployment, price rise and there was angst in the people. Look at the Karnataka elections and the next three to four elections. That will be an indicator, that's going to happen," he added while responding to a query on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Asked about the condition of Indian economy, the Congress leader, who is on a six-day visit to the US, said, "What we see on the ground is massive unemployment and dramatic increase in prices and this is one of the reason why we won in Karnataka as there was feeling in india that there is a set of people who have huge amount of wealth and there are large number of people who are poor and struggling."
"Huge income disparity and huge unemployment as it is at 40-year high. So to say economy is doing well I don't quiet agree with it," Gandhi added.
He noted that the central difference between how we (Congress) see it and how the BJP sees.
"We believe in decentralisation of power, we believe in small and medium industries as they are the engine of growth in India and they tend to concentrate power and wealth in few limited people. So I would say broadly that is the difference," the former Lok Sabha MP said.
Asked about the rights of minority in India and what would Congress do if it comes to power, he added, "India has a very robust system already in place. That system has already weakened. But it's not that the system does not exist, if the democratic conversation will be allowed to foster then these issues will settle themselves."
"You have to have independent set of institutions that are not controlled and pressurised, that has been the norm in India. This is an average which is taking place in India. From our perspective the foundations of democracy in India are very strong. And the protection exist but that has been sort of disturbed."
He said that the Congress is the party which conceptualised those (independent institutions) in the first place.
"We don't view them as our institutions but we view them as institutions of the state. So we ensure that there was independence and neutrality in these institutions. And it's not difficult to do what you are trying to do," the Congress leader said.
Gandhi is also scheduled to participate in several programmes during his US tour.
He has already delivered a lecture at the Stanford University and also interacted with the Indian diaspora in San Francisco.
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