Inherited truth, courage from Nehru: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi(PTI): Jawaharlal Nehru's greatest legacy was giving Indians the courage to resist oppression and claim freedom, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday and added he inherited "truth and courage" from his great-grandfather -- the country's first prime minister.
In a free-wheeling conversation with party leader Sandeep Dikshit that was posted on the former Congress chief's X handle and YouTube channel, Gandhi talks about his pursuit of truth and his willingness to stand by it no matter what the cost.
"Nehru didn't teach us politics -- he taught us to confront fear and stand for the truth. He gave Indians the courage to resist oppression and ultimately claim freedom," the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said in the post on X.
"His greatest legacy lies in his relentless pursuit of truth -- a principle that shaped everything he stood for," he added.
The video has been uploaded on Gandhi's YouTube channel with the caption "Truth and Courage - What I Inherited from Nehru".
"This one's personal. In this podcast-style conversation with Sandeep Dikshit, I speak about what drives me -- the pursuit of truth -- and how that pursuit is inspired by my great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru. He wasn't just a politician. He was a seeker, a thinker, someone who walked into danger with a smile and came out stronger," Gandhi wrote in the video description.
"His greatest legacy lies in his relentless pursuit of truth -- a principle that shaped everything he stood for. He didn’t teach us politics -- he taught us to confront fear and stand for the truth. That need to seek, to question, to stay rooted in curiosity -- it runs in my blood," the former Congress chief added.
Gandhi said his grandmother -- former prime minister Indira Gandhi -- told him stories of how Nehru nearly fell into a glacier in the mountains he loved, how animals were always part of the family, or how they never missed an hour of exercise.
"My mother still watches birds in the garden. I do judo. These aren't just hobbies -- they're windows into who we are. We observe. We stay connected to the world around us. And what we carry most deeply is the instinct to face challenges with quiet strength," he wrote.
"That's what Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Patel, and Bose were really teaching: how to befriend fear. Not socialism, not politics -- just courage. Gandhi stood up to an empire with nothing but truth. Nehru gave Indians the courage to resist oppression and ultimately claim freedom. Any great human endeavour -- science, art, resistance -- it all begins with confronting fear. And if you're committed to non-violence, then truth is your only weapon. No matter what was done to them, they didn't budge from it. That's what made them great leaders," he noted.
Whether he is speaking to Bill Gates or Chetram Mochi, he meets them with the same curiosity, Gandhi said.
"Because real leadership isn't about control. It's about compassion. And in today's India -- where truth is inconvenient -- I've made my choice. I'll stand for it. No matter the cost," he wrote.
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Kerala polls: ‘People rejected 10 years of misrule’, says AICC gen secy
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the “arrogance”, corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed “10 years of misrule” by the Left government.
He claimed that Vijayan’s victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was “only technical”, alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.
“He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people’s mood in this election,” Venugopal said.
Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to “communal and opportunistic politics”, he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a “secret understanding” with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term.
He said that when a government driven by power and arrogance attempts to align with anyone to stay in office, even its own cadre turns against it.
Referring to the results, Venugopal said that while the UDF expected rebel CPI(M) leaders, including K Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, to impact the vote share, their victories came as a surprise.
Describing the UDF’s performance as a “historic victory”, he attributed it to coordinated teamwork, grassroots mobilisation, and the dedication of party workers, adding that the alliance accepted the mandate “with humility”.
Venugopal also credited Rahul Gandhi’s campaign guarantees, calling them a “trump card” that helped voters focus on real issues and reject what he described as the LDF’s “false narratives”.
He claimed that the Congress witnessed one of its lowest levels of rebellion in this election, which contributed to the alliance’s strong performance.
The senior Congress leader further alleged that the BJP managed to win two seats with the help of the CPI(M), and asserted that forces attempting to divide society on communal lines should “learn a lesson” from Kerala’s verdict.
“This is the real Kerala story,” he said.
On the question of the next Chief Minister, Venugopal said the party leadership would decide at the earliest after due consultations.
The counting of votes began on Monday morning for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive majority, defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) posts, "Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign. As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential… pic.twitter.com/6T4IZbEmp4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
