Communal forces killed grandmother,my father. Will probably kill me too

Since there has been no major communal violence in Gujarat after 2002,Rahuls reference to that state in the context of the Muzaffarnagar riots indicated a change in his strategy of not locking horns with Modi and could mark the beginning of a more direct confrontation between the two in the run-up to the 2014 elections.

If there is one thing that our opposition does,it is to instill anger in people. That is what they do full-time. They incite Hindus against Muslims and create unrest… Iski thokar maine khayi hai. Do baar khayi hai. (I have borne the brunt of this twice). I am not the only one who is a victim of terrorism. There are lakhs of such people in the country. This country cannot move forward on the basis of anger,but only with love. That is what the Congress party wants. We will live together,die together and fight together. There is no power in the world that can touch us, said Rahul.

He also seemed to have revisited his India-versus-Bharat stand as he sought to explore the middle path,stating that the rich and the poor should work together to take the nation forward. We want to bring everybody together. The poor,the rich,all sections of people belonging to all communities and all religions. We are not saying that the poor only live in India. Without business and industry,the country cannot progress. We want that there should be a partnership between the poor and the rich, he said.

In his now-familiar narrative about the sacrifices of the Nehru-Gandhi family,Rahul delivered an emotion-laden speech in Churu. Communal forces killed my grandmother,my father and will probably kill me,too. But I dont care. I had to tell you what I felt from the heart, he said.

In two of my rallies in Madhya Pradesh I had narrated a story related to my mother… Usually in such rallies,one doesnt talk about emotional things…but I did. When I went back to Delhi,my mother asked me not to talk of her stories. She said her story is her story,her pain is her pain. If my mother says that I should not tell her stories and tell my own stories instead,then I will do that. Today I will tell you my story… I will tell you why I talk so much about terrorism. Two of my family members were targets of terrorism, he said.

Taking off from his Jaipur speech last January about how his friends Satwant Singh and Beant Singh Indira Gandhis bodyguards who killed her had taught him badminton,Rahul said,In 1984,I was in the garden. I met Beant Singh and he asked me where my grandmother sleeps and if her security was adequate? He told me how to lie down if somebody throws a grenade at me. At that time,I did not understand what he meant. Years later,I understood that Satwant Singh and Beant Singh were planning to throw a grenade at her during Diwali. His revelation added a fresh twist to the Indira Gandhi assassination,as she was killed on October 31,a week after Diwali that year.

I saw my grandmothers blood. I also saw the blood of her killers Beant Singh and Satwant Singh. I used to play with those who killed her. I was angry with them for a long time… It took me 15 years to control my anger against them. I understand the pain of losing someone very close. I lost both my grandmother and my father to acts of terror, he said.

Rahul recalled that he was in school when Indira was assassinated. My security officer told me that my grandmother had been shot. My legs were trembling. Priyanka and I were taken home… my grandmothers blood was on the road,and there was the blood of my friends in a room, said Rahul. The pain I experienced on that day. I experienced again when my father died. It felt like someone had ripped my heart open.

He narrated how an MLA from Punjab told him that if they had met 20 years ago,he would have killed him out of anger. Anybody can get angry as the anger is deliberately put into people. Politicians do it for their vested interest. But it is the common man who is hurt and has to carry this anger with him. It takes years for that anger to subside but a minute to provoke it,and it takes a lifetime to remove that anger and create brotherhood, he said.

The Alwar rally was scheduled for 1 pm,and the crowd had gathered by noon. However,as Rahul kept them waiting for hours,groups of impatient youth raised slogans in favour of Modi instead. Modi lao,desh bachao, they shouted.

When Rahul finally arrived at 4.30 pm,there was some cheering,but the Modi slogans returned as other Congress leaders spoke. Rahuls promise of jobs and giving people a say in the Congress manifesto,however,drew loud applause.

Let me talk of what we can do for you. First I must commend Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for doing so much for the state. The old thank him for the pension scheme. If the UPA is voted back to power next year,we will introduce the free medicine scheme across the country. We have provided food security,the right to information and the land acquisition Act, he said.

We are coming up with the dedicated freight corridor and industrial corridor linking Delhi,Mumbai,Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. A large number of companies will come in. We need industrialists to invest in the country but cannot deprive the poor of their land,and that is where the land acquisition Act protects the interests of poor landholders and vendors, he added.

Stating that the party has decided to include the voices of the common man,youth,women and marginalised sections in its election manifesto,he said a team led by ministers Sachin Pilot and Jitendra Singh and MP Deepender Hooda would accept suggestions from the electorate.