Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi addressing students at Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru. Highlights of the speech.


- I did a little research before I came here, so I went to Wikipedia like everyone does these days

-- I looked up Wikipedia, I found to my surprise that three brilliant women that I know, come from this institutionI was very impressed with the alumni list. So I called Margaret Alva ji, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw ji and  Nirupama Rao ji.

-- When I spoke to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw ji, she said she wouldn't have become head of Biocon if this institution hadn't given her the self belief. Today many avenues have opened and she inspired you to follow your dream and get ahead in life.

-- I realised that essentially what this institute does is that it gives you knowledge but it also preaches tolerance.

-- If you want to achieve anything in life, you have to listen to people around you. You have to learn, appreciate and carry them around you.

-- This institution, it gives you knowledge but also gives you tolerance.

-- This institution is about conversation. I'm not coming here to tell you what to think, I'm coming here to listen to what you have to say.

-- When I first came into politics, I was convinced in my mind that solution to India's problems were simple. The only thing that had to be done was to implement them.

-- Some years back, about 10 years ago, we started a Self Help Group -- The idea of connecting women to banks and finance, allowing them to use finance to become entrepreneurs.

-- I went to Andhra Pradesh and was impressed by it. You know how UP is, everyone told us that it can happen in AP, not in Uttar Pradesh.

Today it is the largest SHG for women in Uttar Pradesh 1.5 million women are a part of it. Most of these women came from below  poverty line. Women do not have the place they deserve. They are mistreated and made uncomfortable.

-- Society decides someone is pretty, thin, small. For me, all of you are beautiful and needs to be respected. That is what I fight for.

-- Conversation is important, out of conversation comes out a refined perspective.


-- How can one person have all the answers? I want you all to be part of decision making in the country.

-- In the Central Govt today I can say with certainty that there is only one person taking all the decisions. But what I want is for everyone to have a dialogue, I want all of you to be able to be in Vidhan Sabha and have a dialogue.

-- A conversation should be started with Irom Sharmila, we'll do it: Rahul Gandhi when asked why Cong doesnt initiate conversation with Sharmila. A member of Govt does not have the decency to go there and say why are you protesting. After that you can say I don't agree with you, you are wrong, but at least start a conversation.

-- Prime Minister mentioned that he would produce two crore jobs. Its perfectly OK if you are focusing on large business and providing jobs.

India will only succeed if the economy grows and take the benefits to poor people. Most of the democratic dividend is poor. Most of the young are not rich.

-- They are slashing education, health care expenditure and by the way there are no jobs.

-- All the government is doing right now is giving contracts to large business people, that too very few of them. It's actually much worse that suit boot ki Sarkar, it is 5-6 suit boot ki Sarkar.

-- The central idea of the PM which I contest is that he believes that country can be run through the PMO. I have seen India for too long to believe that one person can change the lives of 1.3 billion people. Suit boot is failing because there are no jobs, economy is in doldrums and you don't have any money in education and healthcare.