'Rahul Gandhi's politics has changed': Smriti Irani dissects his new 'white T-shirt strategy'

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Smriti Irani pointed out a noticeable shift in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's political strategy. Dissecting the evolution of Rahul's approach, Irani suggested that his newfound focus on caste politics and symbolic gestures marks a significant departure from his earlier tactics.
In a recent podcast, Smriti Irani said, "There has been a change in Rahul Gandhi's politics." Highlighting that the Congress leader appears to believe he has finally tasted success after years of struggling to find his footing, she said, “When he (Rahul Gandhi) speaks about caste, he for the first time in his political career, speaks as an instrument.When he wears white T-shirt in Parliament, he knows what message he is trying to send to the youth.”
She also noted that every gesture and statement from Gandhi is part of a broader, more calculated strategy. "They're planning a different game in politics now, and these guys are far from naive," she added.
Irani highlighted that Rahul's recent emphasis on caste politics is a deliberate move, a first in his career where he is using such a sensitive issue to resonate with the masses.
Rahul's shift towards caste-based rhetoric is a response to his earlier failures in garnering mass appeal through other means. "Rahul Gandhi couldn't gain traction by visiting temples, it was being ridiculed. Many people thought that it was deception," she said.
Irani argues that this led him to pivot towards caste as a new strategy to gain political momentum. “He then thought if this isn't helping him gain traction. What else could work, caste could. So this is a part of his political strategy. If he had a political mindset, we would have seen it reflected in his political journey already”, Irani said.
In the Lok Sabha election 2019, Irani emerged victorious against Rahul Gandhi, securing a lead of 55,120 votes. However, in the 2024 election, Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma managed to unseat Irani by a substantial margin of 1.67 lakh votes.