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Some achieve little but become arrogant, says Rahul Gandhi
In comments widely interpreted as a veiled attack on NDA functionaries, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that some people “achieve little bit and suddenly become arrogant” and don’t talk to others with respect.
In comments widely interpreted as a veiled attack on NDA functionaries, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that some people “achieve little bit and suddenly become arrogant” and don’t talk to others with respect.
At a launch of a book ‘Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India’ by technocrat Sam Pitroda, Gandhi said his father, late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, despised mediocrity and would not only get disturbed by it, but also attempted to “murder” the mediocrity.
“He (Sam Pitroda) did the telecom revolution. He worked with the Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi). He worked on the Knowledge Commission. But for me, I haven’t seen much change in Sam,” he said. “In our country people achieve little bit and suddenly they become arrogant. They don’t talk to people with respect. I have not seen that in Sam. He is still the same.”
On his part, former PM Manmohan Singh recalled his association with Pitroda and said the journey from a small village in Odisha to become a leading technocrat in the country was remarkable.
Alluding to close ties between Rajiv Gandhi and Pitroda in shaping the country’s information technology revolution, Singh said, “When I became the PM, we felt the need for science and technology for developing the country. Sam had a heart attack. But when the call came, he rushed back (to India from the US).”
Pitroda, who served as the chairman of the National Knowledge Commission under Singh from 2005 to 2009, said for making the ‘Make in India’, an ambitious project initiated by PM Modi, successful, it is necessary to build infrastructure like good roads, power and have skilled labour.
