Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who often visits cross-sections of people – from mechanics to barbers– tried his hand at painting his official bungalow and making diyas this Diwali. The Congress leader shared a 9-minute log video on his social media handle, in which he was seen talking to the workers painting his 10 Janpath residence and ceramic artisans in Delhi, to understand their daily struggles.
But what was special about the latest video was the presence of his nephew Raihan Rajiv Vadra, who helped his uncle and lent a hand during the painting work. Raihan, the son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and Robert Vadra, was also seen quizzing his uncle about his childhood memories of Diwali, the festival of light.
Sharing the video on his social media platform, Gandhi wrote in Hindi, “A memorable Diwali with special people.” It starts with Rahul saying that normally, people who help “brighten” our homes are rarely talked about, which is why he decided to meet them and understand their issues before Diwali.
The shots cut between three events– Raihan and Rahul are trying their hands at painting the house, one where Rahul Gandhi visits the house of women clay artists in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar and the other of Raihan and Rahul taking a stroll around 10 Janpath on Diwali eve.
एक दिवाली उनके साथ, जिनकी मेहनत से रौशन है भारत! pic.twitter.com/bfmmrjZD2S
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 1, 2024
In the footage, Rahul Gandhi is seen telling Raihan about the people who brightened the Diwali of others without being acknowledged or appreciated. Raihan is seen lending a helping hand to painters with his uncle during the whitewash of the 10 Janpath. Rahul shares with his nephew that he “isn’t a big fan” of the bungalow, because his father and later Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi died while the family was living in the house.
The 10, Janpath bungalow is the official residence of Sonia Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi has been staying there since he was disqualified as an MP in 2023.
The video also captured glimpses of Rahul Gandhi trying his hand at pottery. During this visit to a woman potter’s house, he made diyas which he said he would gift his mother and sister.
“Such labourers don’t go home, they forget their families to ensure they can earn money while others celebrate the festivals happily,” he is heard saying in the video.
“They make happiness from clay. While lighting up the festivals of others, are they able to live in light themselves? Those who build houses can hardly run their own houses,” he added.
The video has garnered the attention of people internet, and those in political corridors, alike. Many see it as a “soft launch” of Raihan–the fifth-generation Nehru-Gandhi-Vadra family member– in politics. 24-year-old Raihan is a visual artist and curator and has held several solo exhibitions of his work.
Interestingly, the video came at a time when Raihan’s mother, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had just taken a plunge into electoral politics and is contesting the Lok Sabha by-poll from Kerala’s Wayanad seat in October after Rahul vacated it.