Interesting facts about Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: New Delhi: The Congress party governed India for most of the country's post-independence history. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections the party faced its most humiliating defeat ever, raising questions about the party's future and that of the Nehru Gandhi dynasty that runs it. The BJP's landslide victory reduced Congress to a much diminished force in the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi's failure had become the talk of the town. Critics blame the party's star campaigner Rahul, whose lackluster campaign was in sharp contrast to Narendra Modi's energetic rallies and stimulating speeches. Rahul Gandhi eventually conceded that his party had failed miserably and he accepted responsibility for the defeat.Rahul Gandhi is mocked for being a loser but Rahul's image was not the same just a few years ago. Rahul has always been a go-getter and has always tried to live up to the expectations of his family and supporters. Amidst all the commotion created in the galleries of Indian politics to win the race, few aspects from the personal life of the politicians might just stay unnoticed or hidden.Rahul Gandhi may have failed to win 2014 elections for the Congress party but he has age on his side and he can definitely make a comeback in 2019.Rahul Gandhi tried to introduce his own ideas like introducing primaries in Congress party but the idea failed to deliver in absence of unanimity among party cadres over the efficacy of the new changes.We give you some interesting facts about the heir of the leading political family of India: Rahul Gandhi is his family's fourth generation politician. His great grand father, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru was India's first Prime Minister. His grandmother Indira Gandhi was also Prime Minister of India. His father Rajiv Gandhi too was former PM of India. Rahul Gandhi is called ‘Son' of India's first political family. But despite belonging to a political class, Rahul Gandhi was never arrogant and snobbish in his school days.While at school camps, he would wash dishes and serve food just as his other batch mates did. He preferred maintaining a low profile. Even today, he prefers to avoid getting into limelight.Rahul's grades were never very good. He was always an average student. Rahul is often described as inarticulate and uninspiring but personally, he was always willing to learn. He never took a backseat when it came to learning. It was quite difficult for Rahul to lead a normal life after the assassinations of his grandmother and father. Due to his high-profile background, most part of Rahul's childhood was spent under death threats and special security.Rahul was studying in Doon School when his grandmother Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Rahul with his sister Priyanka had to drop their schooling and were made to study at home.For his graduation, Rahul joined St. Stephen's College in 1989 but he shifted to Harvard University after he did his first year. Unfortunately in 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the extremist outfit LTTE.Once again, security issues crept in. Rahul had to shift to Rollins College and finally completed his B.A. in 1994.It was during this period that Rahul had to use a false name ‘Raul Vinci' and his original identity was only revealed to the University officials and security agencies.Once his graduation was complete, Rahul worked at the Monitor Group, a management consultancy firm in London.In 1995 he completed his M. Phil. degree in Development Studies from the Trinity College of Cambridge. He shifted to India and served as one of the directors at a Mumbai based technology outsourcing firm, Backops Serviced Pvt. Ltd.Rahul plunged into mainstream politics in 2004 from Amethi constituency, the party's bailiwick.After winning from Amethi in 2004, Rahul became the star campaigner for Congress in 2007 UP Assembly elections. But despite his best efforts, his party could only manage to bag 22 seats with only 8.35 percent votes.In 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul once again emerged as the star campaigner of Congress party. He addressed 125 rallies all over the country in just six weeks. His party performed well in UP this time. Rahul's love life remains a hush-hush affair for everyone. The most eligible bachelor in the country is said to have dated a Spanish beauty who is an architect.Rahul has confessed his relationship in one of his election campaigns in Amethi during 2004 elections. He had famously remarked, “My mother and sister keep on telling me to propose.' If you do not want to propose, we will do it.”No one knows why this relationship failed to move forward. Nothing has been heard about Rahul's girlfriend for a long time.While Priyanka Gandhi channels her inner Indira, Rahul Gandhi has got certain similarities with his father Rajiv Gandhi. Before joining politics, Rajiv Gandhi had taken up professional piloting at Indian Airlines. He had no intention of joining politics because ahead of him, his brother, Sanjay was already in fray. But life had other plans for him. After Sanjay's death, Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Eventually Rajiv had to step into the battleground. Similarly, as Rahul watched his mother take on larger responsibilities, he had to take the political responsibilities.Rahul has had a traumatic past and he is quite vocal about it. Rahul was never naturally inclined towards politics.As a young lad he once asked his father, “PAPA, why do you do this? Have you ever thought that you should leave this?” He asked this question while climbing the staircase of a plane. His question was answered inadvertently years later while on a train to Allahabad, his father's ashes in his hands.“I looked out of the train and I saw a lot of people following. And in their faces I saw a sense of loss and I felt that as my father's son I had some responsibility,” admitted Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi about his decision to join politics, at a media meet. In 2012 Rahul Gandhi finall announced that he was ready to take the plunge. He was prepared to face his destiny and play a larger role in the party's activities. Eventually by 2013 he was made Congress party's Vice President. Undoubtedly, Rahul Gandhi's asset was his descent. Rahul Gandhi always presses on his tragic past whenever he faces an interview or the press. In an interview with Arnab Goswami, for most part of the session, he tried to bring in his lack of trust in the system. “In my life I have seen my grandmother die, I have seen my father die, I have seen my grandmother go to jail and I have actually been through a tremendous amount of pain as a child,” he told Goswami. He cited this as the reason for why he doesn't like what he “sees in politics”. Rahul compared himself to Arjun, to his ability to focus on the object he aims at, blind to anything else. “I am blind because I saw people I loved destroyed by the system.”Rahul Gandhi has been the subject of mockery everywhere around! He is trying to carry the weight, too heavy for his shoulders. Yet there is a side of him that is yet to be explored. Narendra Modi in his rallies addressed him as Shehzada. This drew sharp criticisms from the Congress party. During the Election campaign Rahul Gandhi was often targeted by the BJP for being ineffective and childlike. Rahul's comment on BJP's balloon bursting in the elections and labeling Gujarat's land dealing model as “toffee” model was mocked by the people and his rivals. Narendra Modi went on to the extent of calling him an entertainer who is more humorous than Kapil Sharma and added “Gandhi will give Kapil Sharma a run for his money”. Rahul Gandhi's failure in 2014 Lok Sabha election is embarrassing as the party has touched an all time low tally of 44 in Lok Sabha. He tried but failed to reach out to the masses. He failed to make impressive speeches and attract the masses. But he can claim some poritives as well. Despite tough competition from Aam Admi Party's Kumar Vishwas and Bhartiya Janata Party's Smriti Irani, Congress Party's Vice – President managed to win his Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh by a margin of 1,07,903 votes.To everyone's surprise, on 27 September 2013, Rahul Gandhi openly criticized Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his government for coming out with an ordinance to revoke the order passed by Honorable Supreme Court of India which stated that convicted criminals could not contest elections. Though his move was criticized by many for showing disregard to the then Prime Minister of India, his act was appreciated by others as the ordinance served to protect convicted politicians. In 2008, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily mentioned “Rahul-as-PM” idea when the PM of India Manmohan Singh was still abroadRahul Gandhi was arrested on 11 May 2011 in Bhatta Parsaul village by the Uttar Pradesh police for supporting flustered farmers who were demanding more compensation against acquisition of their land for a highway project.During the 2012 Assembly elections, he campaigned in Uttar Pradesh for almost two months, holding 200 rallies. Congress won 28 seats in the state, which is six seats more compared with the 2007 elections.On 19 January 2013, Rahul Gandhi was appointed the Congress Vice President in a party conclave of the All India Congress Committee in Jaipur. Officially he is ranked second in the party after his mother, Sonia Gandhi, who is the party President.Rahul Gandhi has had so many face-palm moments. Here are some statements made by Rahul Gandhi at various events and on different occasions. “We will stop 99 per cent of the attacks. But one per cent of attacks might get through and that is what I am saying.”“10 out of 7 youths in Punjab are hooked on to drugs.”“India is the Saudi Arabia of 21st century.“Politics is in your shirt, in your pant.”If India is a computer, then Congress is its default program.”“India is a beehive.”“Gujarat is bigger than the United Kingdom.”“Poverty is just a state of mind. It does not mean the scarcity of food, money or material things. If one possesses self-confidence, then one can overcome poverty.”Let's have a look at some of his interesting photographs: