PM Modi taught me what not to do: Rahul
New Delhi, Dec 11: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi taught him "what not to do" and he also "learnt a lot" from the massive defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Gandhi also said the prime minister got a massive mandate but refused to listen to "heartbeat of the country".
Addressing a press conference here after the Congress' resurgence in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, he said, "I was speaking to my mother yesterday and I was telling her that the absolute best thing for me was the 2014 election. I've learnt a lot from that election."
The most important thing that he learnt from the 2014 polls was humility, said the 48-year-old Congress chief.
"This is a great country and the most important thing in this country is what the people feel," he said.
As a politician one has to listen to what the people feel and also connect with what they feel, Gandhi said.
"Frankly, Mr Narendra Modi taught me the lesson -- what not to do," Gandhi said.
He said, "Five years ago, he (Modi) was handed a massive opportunity to transform this country. The sad thing is that he refused to listen to the heartbeat of the country."
Modi refused to hear what the youngsters and farmers were saying, he alleged.
"Certain amount of arrogance came in. I think that is fatal for a politician. That is something I learnt from how he has acted. For me the best teachers are the people of this country," Gandhi asserted, adding that he has had a "nice journey" since 2014.
"(Have taken) Little bit of a beating also, but it is a good thing, not a bad thing...," he quipped.
To another question on whether the Congress was now thinking of a 'BJP-mukt Bharat', Gandhi answered in the negative and said the party's approach was different as it wanted to defeat them but not free India from anyone.
"We have defeated them now and we will defeat them in 2019," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
IPL 2026 to be held between March 26-May 31 window
Mumbai (PTI): The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League will be held between the March 26 to May 31 window but it remains to be seen if Bengaluru, the home of RCB, holds the opening match.
As per the norms, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium should host the tournament opener given the home side, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL 2025 title.
While the venue has received conditional clearance from the Karnataka state government, it also needs to meet the necessary safety and security standards following the death of 11 fans in a stampede during RCB's victory celebrations in June this year.
The mini-auction for IPL 2026 will be held in Abu Dhabi today with three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders coming in with the biggest purse.
