ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
sarabjit grewal
“Dynasty Politics, That’s How India Works”: Rahul at Berkeley
The Quint 3 hours ago 
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi began his two-week visit to the US on 11 September, where he addressed students at the University of California, Berkeley, in his first engagement in the country.
Gandhi, 47, was received at the San Francisco airport by senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda and Shudh Singh, the president of Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC), US.
Commenting on PM Modi’s flagship initiatives and his “certain skills”, Rahul Gandhi said that Modi is a “very good communicator”
He is a very good communicator, much better than me. He knows how to give a message to 3-4 different groups in a crowd, so his messaging ability is very effective and subtle...What I sense is that he doesn’t converse with the people he works with. Even members of parliament and the BJP tell me that.He added that he “likes” Modi government’s ‘Make in india’ initiative, but would follow a different “orientation”.
‘Make in India’ is about big business and defence. My focus will be on small and medium business enterprises. I’ll bring in experts from the Silicon Valley.During a question and answer session after his address, the Congress Vice President said that when the UPA was in power, he had worked with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leaders like P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh to resolve the problems facing Jammu and Kashmir for nine years.
When we started, terrorism was rampant in Kashmir. When we finished, there was peace, we had broken the back of terrorism...In 2014, the government did something that inflicted a huge strategic cost...The day Prime Minister Modi made an alliance with the PDP (People’s Democrat, he destroyed it as an instruemt which to could bring these youngsters into the political system. He (PM Modi) massively opened up space for the terrorists in Kashmir, and you saw the increase in violence.He added that Congress government had given the Kashmiri youth a “vision” and employment opportunities.
When questioned if he would take up the executive role in the Congress ahead of the 2019 general elections, Rahul Gandhi said he is “absolutely ready for it” but will follow the organisational elections that the party follows.
“He is here at the University of California, Berkley, where Pandit (Jawaharlal Nehru) addressed in 1949 as the Prime Minister. Today, we are at the crossroads where core values of Indian democracy, secularism, and pluralistic society are in danger," Congress spokesman Madhu Goud Yaskhi said.
"He (Rahul Gandhi) strongly believes in these values for India to be a strong nation, and what is the way forward for India and his views and his thoughts about India's future," the spokesman said.
During his trip to the US, he said, Gandhi will also engage with the Indian diaspora with the purpose of making them a part in India's development.
From San Francisco, Gandhi is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles. He is likely to visit Aspen Institute to interact with the think-tank community.
In Washington DC, the Congress Vice President is scheduled to interact with members of the think-tank community, political leaders and government officials.
Gandhi is also scheduled to travel to Princeton University before his final address to overseas Indians in New York.
At UC Berkeley, what Rahul Gandhi said about 'BJP machine', his 'stupidity'
TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Sep 12, 2017,HIGHLIGHTS
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today gave a speech in the US at the University of California in Berkeley. Following that, he answered questions from the moderator on a variety of subjects, including dynastic politics and the BJP. Here are his top quotes:
Rahul Gandhi answering questions at the University of California, Berkeley* "There is a BJP machine. A 1,000 guys sitting on computers telling you about me."
* "It's a tremendous machine, all day they spread abuse about me, and the operation is run by the gentleman who is running our country."
* "All this BJP machine does is spread news about me, that I'm a 'reluctant politician', that I'm 'stupid'. That's all these 1,000 guys do."
* When asked about 'dynastic politics': "Most of the country runs like this, so don't go after me, Akhilesh Yadav a dynast, Mr Stalin a dynast, Mr (Prem Kumar) Dhumal's son a dynast, so don't just go after me."
* When asked about becoming Congress president: "I am absolutely ready for that, but our party works according to organizational elections."
Gandhi, 47, was received at the San Francisco airport by senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda and Shudh Singh, the president of Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC), US.
Commenting on PM Modi’s flagship initiatives and his “certain skills”, Rahul Gandhi said that Modi is a “very good communicator”
He is a very good communicator, much better than me. He knows how to give a message to 3-4 different groups in a crowd, so his messaging ability is very effective and subtle...What I sense is that he doesn’t converse with the people he works with. Even members of parliament and the BJP tell me that.He added that he “likes” Modi government’s ‘Make in india’ initiative, but would follow a different “orientation”.
‘Make in India’ is about big business and defence. My focus will be on small and medium business enterprises. I’ll bring in experts from the Silicon Valley.During a question and answer session after his address, the Congress Vice President said that when the UPA was in power, he had worked with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leaders like P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh to resolve the problems facing Jammu and Kashmir for nine years.
When we started, terrorism was rampant in Kashmir. When we finished, there was peace, we had broken the back of terrorism...In 2014, the government did something that inflicted a huge strategic cost...The day Prime Minister Modi made an alliance with the PDP (People’s Democrat, he destroyed it as an instruemt which to could bring these youngsters into the political system. He (PM Modi) massively opened up space for the terrorists in Kashmir, and you saw the increase in violence.He added that Congress government had given the Kashmiri youth a “vision” and employment opportunities.
When questioned if he would take up the executive role in the Congress ahead of the 2019 general elections, Rahul Gandhi said he is “absolutely ready for it” but will follow the organisational elections that the party follows.
“He is here at the University of California, Berkley, where Pandit (Jawaharlal Nehru) addressed in 1949 as the Prime Minister. Today, we are at the crossroads where core values of Indian democracy, secularism, and pluralistic society are in danger," Congress spokesman Madhu Goud Yaskhi said.
"He (Rahul Gandhi) strongly believes in these values for India to be a strong nation, and what is the way forward for India and his views and his thoughts about India's future," the spokesman said.
During his trip to the US, he said, Gandhi will also engage with the Indian diaspora with the purpose of making them a part in India's development.
From San Francisco, Gandhi is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles. He is likely to visit Aspen Institute to interact with the think-tank community.
In Washington DC, the Congress Vice President is scheduled to interact with members of the think-tank community, political leaders and government officials.
Gandhi is also scheduled to travel to Princeton University before his final address to overseas Indians in New York.