20240317 gandhi march

Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of India's main opposition Congress party, arrives in Mumbai on March 16, on the final leg of a nationwide march to connect with voters ahead of the country's general election. © Reuters

India opposition fights for relevance versus Modi election juggernaut

As Rahul Gandhi concludes march for 'unity,' his Congress party's coalition frays

NEW DELHI -- In the final days of his 6,700-kilometer "Unite India Justice" march this month, Rahul Gandhi waved from the back of a fire-engine red jeep as it weaved through a crowd in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat.

Gandhi, scion of the opposition Indian National Congress party, spoke about the vast gulf between India's rich and poor. "The amount of money that [700 million] people have in their bank accounts, that same amount is there in 22 [wealthy] people's bank accounts," he said in Hindi, repeating a frequent critique of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's stewardship. "Do you understand this? Even this jeep can accommodate 22 people."

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