Rahul Gandhi: A leader with a heart that bleeds for under-privileged and a head that rages against injustice

The developments in Hathras have once again proved that what we have been saying for years. There is not a single a leader in the country who can match Rahul Gandhi in guts, charisma, and speaking out for the weak and the oppressed.

While every opposition party seems to have gone into a slumber for whatever reasons – let's not take names – it is Rahul Gandhi and the equally fearless Priyanka Gandhi who have been at the forefront of all the struggles of the people on the ground.

Despite the police initially arresting them for trying to reach Hathras, the duo did not give up and finally met the family of the 19-year-old gang-rape victim. And it is their perseverance which forced not only the Lucknow authorities to let them visit Hathras but forced UP CM Yogi Adityanath to order a CBI inquiry into the sordid episode which ended with the alleged gang-rape victim being forcibly cremated in the dead of night by the police, without any family member being present.

What is remarkable is that this is not the first time Rahul Gandhi has been proactive in speaking out for the weak and the defenceless. Only a few months back, while the entire opposition leadership was in ‘Work From Home’ (WFH) mode, he was out there in the blazing hot sun at ITO talking to migrants who had been left to fend for themselves without buses or trains to return home.

As usual, the media called him names, but the thousands who reached home due to his personal efforts thanked him from their heart. That is where his appeal lies. Straight to the heart.

And it's not just because he is a Congress leader. The 23 leaders who wrote letters, leaked to the media selectively, have also been in the Congress for quite some time but hardly anyone bothered to speak up on the ghastly happenings in Hathras. But Rahul Gandhi is incorrigible.

People say he is a ‘misfit’ in politics. Maybe yes, for the present set of politicians, but at least he has a conscience that is alive, a heart that bleeds for the under-privileged, and a head that rages against injustice.

And like a fighter, Rahul Gandhi manages to reach where he wants to. He could be pillion riding in Meerut to talk to farmers or he could be traveling in a Mumbai local to defy Bal Thackerey when he had threatened to block the screening of 'My Name is Khan', a film by Shahrukh Khan, in February 2010.

When stopped from travelling to Hathras by the police on Thursday, he offered to go there on foot but was taken into custody. Knowing him, he would have taken that route, given a chance.

In 2010, he travelled to Kalahandi in Orissa to support the tribals who were opposing the setting up of a bauxite mining project for endangering the environment. Remember, the UPA was in power in 2010, but Rahul Gandhi listened to his heart as always.

Very few people would remember that even though he is called ‘Yuvraj’ and several names, Rahul Gandhi is himself very apologetic about being a “dynast”.

At a meeting with students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), when students asked him why powerful Muslim leadership was not emerging in India, he asked them to name five Muslim leaders. They could not go beyond three. He smiled broadly and said "They are all dynasty like me. Why don't you all join politics and become the leaders we need."