In 2007 when he took over Indian Youth Congress (IYC) in addition to National Students Union, India, (NSUI) as Secretary General he promised reform. He promised to undertake massive reform in the outlook and organisational structure of youth politics. To execute this promise, he created a think tank of forty creative minded individuals to help him accomplish the difficult task. The first accomplishment came when membership drives were conducted in 2010. The number of people recruited into the IYC increased from a mere 2 lakhs to 25 lakhs. For those who aren't familiar with Southeast Asian numerical systems, a lakh is one hundred thousand. Some of the elected officials from the process termed the new recruitment drives as effective. This is because under Rahul Gandhi, they have created a policy outlook and organizational structure that encourages the youth to participate in politics in larger numbers. Secondly, the new structure implemented methods of monitoring the recruitment drive such as databases filled with personal information. This is important because in the past there were cases of ghost registrations used to pad the numbers. This is a win not just for IYC but also for national politics showing why Rahul Gandhi as a Prime Minister may be a good idea after all.
He has shown himself to have a human rights protection streak. The above case showed an interest in furthering participation which is a pillar of democracy. In 2011, he was arrested by police in Uttar Pradesh at Bhatta Parsaul village area for supporting demonstrations for better compensation for land acquisition. The forceful land acquisition was being done by the government in order to acquire land to build a highway on. The farmers were protesting the meager compensation the government had offered to them. Rahul Gandhi has always made his stance on wishing to decrease class and religious tensions known. This was a clear example of him fulfilling the promise. The area of the protests had been declared off limits to politicians and other outsiders. He snuck in a motorcycle and declared that the high handedness of the Uttar Pradesh government made him feel ashamed to be Indian. This shows his willingness to serve the people.
And this makes us glad that we have a leader who wants to reach out to the masses.
