Rahul Gandhi on 1984 anti-Sikh riots victim: I am with them in their fight for justice

The Congress leader further went on to add he understands personal loss due to violence. “I lost my father, my grandmother to violence. If I don’t understand violence, I’ll be ignorant,” he said. “Indira Gandhi’s bodyguards, who shot her 32 times, were my friends. I used to play Badminton with them. So, on one day, I saw my grandmother shot and my friends shot. Violence against anybody is wrong, and I condemn it,” Gandhi further added.

Earlier, in his address, the Congress leader said ideology of non-violence is under threat in India. “Idea of non violence or ahimsa is what has allowed this mass of people(India) to rise together,” Gandhi said. “Idea of non-violence is under attack today, yet it is only idea which can take humanity forward,” he added. Speaking about violence in the name of religion in the country, Gandhi added, “Hatred, anger and violence can destroy us. The politics of polarization is very dangerous.”