- By Aditya Jha
- Thu, 19 Jun 2025 03:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress stalwart Rahul Gandhi turned 55 on Thursday, June 19. Several key politicians from across parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, wished him on the occasion. The member of parliament from Raebareli has now completed more than two decades in politics and has witnessed several ups and downs during these years. While the Congress remained in power in the first phase of his career, the grand old party has struggled to make a comeback in the last two Lok Sabha polls, propelling him to work as an opposition leader.
Apart from the dynamic political landscape in the country, Gandhi's style and his political pitch have significantly changed over the years. While he emerged as a soft-spoken politician during his first Lok Sabha poll campaign in 2004, his mood has witnessed a dramatic change in recent years. However, as he completed two decades, he was seen as an 'angry young man' in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. His election campaigns were mostly focused on targeting BJP very aggressively.
Apart from his style of politics, his "political identity" has also changed in the last few years. The Congress portrayed Gandhi as a Kashmiri Brahmin during the 2018 Rajasthan state assembly polls; however, his speeches in the recent months are all about giving the "fair" right to Dalits and OBCs.
The one thing that has been constant in all these years is his attack on the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the saffron party. Gandhi, on numerous occasions, has emphasised that he does not seek power, but his real battle is against the ideology of the saffron party and RSS.
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While the Congress leader has not been able to lead his party to victory in the past two general polls and several state elections, his popularity has increased multiple folds, especially after the Bharat Jodo Yatra. His interaction with local people, especially from poor backgrounds, has impressed the voters. According to a report by Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Gandhi's popularity increased by 15 per cent after the yatra.
With several state assembly elections scheduled in the upcoming months, the congress stalwart has advised the regional leaders to stick to the party's ideology. However, it is interesting to witness how his ideas will convert into reality.