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Election 2019: India Needs A Paradigm Shift In Economic Model, Says Rahul Gandhi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi speaks to BloombergQuint’s Raghav Bahl and Sanjay Pugalia about elections 2019 and more.

Rahul Gandhi, president of the Congress Party, center, leaves a polling station after casting his ballot during the sixth phase of voting for national elections in New Delhi. (Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg)
Rahul Gandhi, president of the Congress Party, center, leaves a polling station after casting his ballot during the sixth phase of voting for national elections in New Delhi. (Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg)
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India Needs A Paradigm Shift In Economic Policy, Says Rahul Gandhi

India needs a paradigm shift to jump start economic growth and address the prevalent unemployment, Gandhi said.

"We ran an economic financial model in the 90s. It worked in the 90s. We didn’t run a new model later, we tweaked that model in 2004 and that ran well in 2012 after which it collapsed,” he said, speaking about welfare economics and policies.

We understand that the same model will not work anymore.
Rahul Gandhi, President, Congress

The challenge is the massive young population and the inability to create jobs for them, he said. “The first aim is to send the message to poor people that, in the 21st century India will not accept poverty and it will wipe it out. Second is, to jump-start the economy and bring the economy to the point of solid growth.”

That is what the NYAY scheme proposes to do, he added.

“The most anti-national thing you can do is destroy the Indian economy. Narendra Modi has done it.”

What Modi is proposing is to run the 2004 model again, Gandhi said. Instead what it needs is a shift which will not be whimsical like making toilets or adding Rs 15 lakh in accounts, he added.

“It will be a conversation with all stakeholders - citizens, farmers, business owners - on what are the big changes India needs.”

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India Has Been Submissive to China Under Modi, Rahul Gandhi Says

India Must Stand With China And U.S. As Equals, Says Rahul Gandhi

Speaking about India’s much discussed foreign policy, Gandhi said that Prime MInister Narendra Modi took foreign policy away from the experts and ignored the strategic architecture of the country.

“Modi took away the strategic architecture and made it a circus,” he said. On the other hand, Congress has carried out multiple strategic actions without talking about them.

“He’s (Narendra Modi) taken the foreign policy away from experts. We’ve done six surgical strikes but Manmohan Singh has not done them. The strategic infrastructure of the country has done it.”

The challenges for India on the foreign front are clear - there's a superpower in the U.S., an emerging superpower in China and confusion in Europe, he said. “India must stand with China & U.S. as equals,” Gandhi said adding that it can't be subservient.

However, it must also realise where its strengths lie and where it is not strong.

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Rahul Gandhi On The Need To Focus On Healthcare

  • One big powerful bet would be in completely rethinking what healthcare is in India
  • India has capability to shape global healthcare, become the force that drives it
  • Second big bet would be to rethink rail and air transport, movement of material in India
  • Need to find ways to use Indian healthcare data better

In Favour Of Decentralisation, Says Rahul Gandhi

  • I'm absolutely in favour of decentralisation
  • Need an ongoing economic conversation to implement ‘good’ ideas
  • Implementation of Congress Party's ideas will happen through conversations
  • Need to bring India, its institutions and public debate back to where it was a few years ago
  • While working on deregulation, removing red tape, need to also make two-three strategic global bets
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Election 2019: Ran 'Lean' Campaign; Did A 'Pretty Good Job', Says Rahul Gandhi

The Congress party has done a good job through this campaign season, leading up to election 2019, said Congress President Rahul Gandhi in an interview with BloombergQuint.

“We have massive financial constraints when compared to the BJP. But we have done a good job,” he said. Speaking about what could have been done differently, he said “There's always a better way of doing things.”


Rahul Gandhi Vs Narendra Modi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is campaigning in Himachal Pradesh, as the final phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 nears. Voting has concluded on 484 seats across the country, and voters in final 59 seats will cast their ballot on Sunday, May 19.

In his campaign rallies over the last six weeks, Gandhi has headlined the Congress’ ‘NYAY’ minimum income guarantee proposal, and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s policies on agriculture, defence procurement, the Goods and Services Tax and the 2016 decision to demonetise high-value currency notes.

While the Congress has been able to stitch up alliances with the DMK in Tamil Nadu, JD(S) in Karnataka, RJD in Bihar, NCP in Maharashtra and JMM in Jharkhand, Gandhi was unable to close tie-ups with the Left Front in West Bengal, the SP-BSP combine in Uttar Pradesh, and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. In the event of a hung Parliament, these parties may seek further compromise from the Congress president, as a pre-condition to any combined front to keep the BJP from power.

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