Ruchir Sharma recalls 'underwhelming' meeting with Rahul Gandhi in 2007, says Congress leader has now transformed

While talking about Rahul Gandhi's evolution over the years, Sharma said his image has undergone a big change

Investor and author Ruchir Sharma has said that Rahul Gandhi, who is now the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, has undergone a massive transformation in the last few years.

Sharma, who is the Chairman of Rockefeller International, made these remarks during an exclusive interview to Network 18's Zakka Jacob and Bodhisatva Ganguli.

He cited two reasons for the recent spurt in Congress leader's popularity -- one, his persistence and second that India, which is "a naturally democratic country", is now looking for a change.

The Congress party, which is part of the opposition INDIA bloc, won 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls compared to 52 in 2019. The party, which defied expectations of pollsters, and its broader INDIA bloc alliance, denied BJP a majority in the lower house.

While talking about Rahul Gandhi's evolution over the years, Sharma said his image has undergone a big change.

"But I can't make out whether it's him or whether it's just that people want something new," he added.

Recalling his meeting with Rahul Gandhi in 2007, Sharma said it was underwhelming as he got a feeling that the Congress leader was not a good listener. "He was just talking in very academic and aloof terms ... It seems like now there's been a change with that in terms of what he's done," Sharma said.

One of the post-poll surveys in Uttar Pradesh showed that more people would rather have Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister than PM Modi, recollected Sharma, adding that when the mood shifts, and people want change, they're willing to prop up whoever they think is the next best person there.

"Today, Rahul Gandhi is the only leader with national footprint. In UP, Akhilesh Yadav is quite popular, in Bihar, Tejashwi is famous, but they don't have a national footprint. And in India's case we know, that there's never been a single instance of a state leader, on their own, having emerged," said Sharma.

Despite the incredible amount of negativity he's faced in politics, Rahul Gandhi has persisted with it and people now are seeking to give someone else a chance, said Sharma. "I think that's the dynamic which is playing out," he said.

The NDA, with support of key allies N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar's JD(U), which won 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, respectively, formed the government at the Centre. In 2019 and 2014, the BJP managed to cross majority mark on its own with 303 and 282 seats respectively.

Read: Full text of Ruchir Sharma's interview with Network18