- 4 months ago
India Today's Mood of the Nation survey findings show a significant positive trend for Rahul Gandhi, with 50% of respondents rating his performance as the Leader of Opposition as 'good'.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Okay, you're watching India. Today's Mood of the Nation done by Sea Voter, our biannual survey.
00:08Let's now turn to what many believe is the elephant in the room, the state of the opposition.
00:13How do our surveys see the state of the opposition? Preeti, take it away.
00:17Alright, so let's flip that conversation. We've seen how Sea Voter, Mood of the Nation respondents reacted to on the question of the performance of the Prime Minister and the NDA.
00:26Okay, let's now talk about the opposition and the leader of opposition, Rahul Gandhi.
00:32The opinion on Rahul's performance as the LOP, leader of opposition. Let's see how that tracks.
00:39To give you the numbers, good 50%, poor 15%.
00:45So this is the number in terms of percentage on what our respondents feel on how the leader of opposition has performed.
00:53If you look at, you know, we'll put out the tracker, Rajdeep, on how the leader of opposition was viewed this February, January when we conducted the Mood of the Nation survey earlier and to now, there seems to be a jump in a positive sense for Rahul Gandhi.
01:10Interesting, because if I break this down further, Preeti, outstanding is 28%, good is 22%, which is roughly corresponding to what it was in February 2025 when it was around 49%.
01:24So Rahul's numbers as a leader of the opposition are holding firm, which is one straight takeaway that he is now perhaps seen as the principal figure at least of the opposition as of now.
01:37No, no, you are missing two important points.
01:39Tell me, the gap, you know, the outstanding part has gone up.
01:44By 3%.
01:45Okay, and the poor part has dropped down dramatically.
01:47Dramatically, dramatically dropped.
01:48Okay, so I think he has done, he has scored big.
01:51But where the problem would be…
01:53Inside parliament.
01:53Inside parliament he has done, he has scored.
01:55Now, the problem will again, where Amitabh said very clearly, you know, whether he is going to make this an institutional battle or battle against Prime Minister Modi in person.
02:08And the way it is going, I am dead sure, it will again go down to a personal attack.
02:15That's how presidential, I don't know whoever is advising Rahul Gandhi in that way.
02:21He will gain as long as he will attack the government, attack the party, attack the degradation of the institution.
02:29But because of that 15 to 20% Modi voter, as long as he is going to attack Mr. Modi personally, that swing voter will not come his way.
02:41And as we are talking, I was just showing to Maria the latest.
02:45Because this entire vote chori campaign was against the ECI, against the BJP.
02:49But from the official handle of the congress, I just saw the mugshot of Prime Minister Modi as the vote chori.
02:56So, you are saying the moment it becomes personal attacks, Rahul Gandhi doesn't benefit.
03:00When he is able to make attacks on institutions or governance issues, that's where he succeeds more.
03:05Is there a lesson in a sense for Rahul Gandhi that people are willing to welcome a leader of the opposition who takes on the government.
03:13But when you make it a personality fight, then it plays into Mr. Modi's Namdar vs. Kamdar narrative yet again.
03:19Well, let's give Rahul...
03:20Or is that narrative over now? Namdar vs. Kamdar.
03:23That Rahul Gandhi has proven himself in that sense.
03:25I think it's considerably matured as a leader.
03:28And we've seen that progression that has been there over the years after Bharat Jodo Yatra.
03:32We're now seeing him in a different avatar itself in taking on vote chori.
03:35But when he said Narendra surrender, for example, it doesn't seem to work, does it?
03:39Fair enough.
03:39But if you take a look at the numbers, Rajdeep, and let's give credit where it's due,
03:44this is good for the congress and for Rahul Gandhi himself.
03:47Clearly, the electorate believes that he is the emerging leader and the prime challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
03:54Whether that works or not, a couple of things depend.
03:56Firstly, Rahul Gandhi is now seen as the sheet anchor of the congress.
04:01Should be like Shuman Gil, go out and hit sixes, but also be like Rahul Dravid, defend quite strongly.
04:06So use your...
04:07Rahul...
04:08Shuman Gil is a bad example because he scored big runs in his first test as captain.
04:12Rahul Gandhi still has been captain now for several years.
04:16Just like Shuman Gil, Rahul Gandhi still has long innings to go.
04:19But if you take a look at that, the fact, what does it mean when Yashwan talks of the fact that
04:24Congress doesn't cross 20%, Rahul Gandhi doesn't cross 25% and the gap between him and Prime Minister Modi in popularity is 27%.
04:31It means that clearly the congress has to begin to ally with other parties as they did with the India alliance.
04:38Now, let's take a look at where the congress can succeed because of the kind of opposition that's there.
04:43Firstly, it has to have a cohesive alliance.
04:45That is missing in the India alliance.
04:46That's a very important thing.
04:48Second, they have to convert anti-incumbency into electoral victories.
04:52They're not being able to do that.
04:53And thirdly, I think itself, in terms of the alternative narrative that Rahul Gandhi should be bringing,
04:58he's seen as a rebel, he's brought out a lot of important issues,
05:02but both...
05:03Let's give him credit, social justice, economic justice,
05:06but he needs a narrative that can challenge the BJP economically
05:10and bring a clear alternative where you say, okay, his narrative can take on...
05:15What Mr. Modi has done in the past few years has actually taken a lot of the left plank,
05:19the welfare plank that the congress had, integrated that.
05:22Now it's time for Rahul Gandhi to enunciate that very clear model,
05:25both political, economic and social, that will push it.
05:28We've got lots of numbers that we need to go through.
05:35Performance of congress' opposition,
05:37because this will give you a sense of where the congress stands.
05:40In the MOTN in August 2023, exactly two years ago, it was 43%.
05:45It's now up to 47%, which is its highest over the last two years, in terms of good.
05:52In terms of poor, it remains 32% in MOTN, August 2023 to August 2025.
06:00So there's a strong voter also who believes Rahul Gandhi is simply not good enough.
06:04Let's keep that also in mind.
06:06So the strong BJP voter has no real time for Rahul Gandhi.
06:09That's not true.
06:10Not Rahul Gandhi is good enough.
06:12No, it's the power of Rahul Gandhi and look at the power of congress' party.
06:15Sorry, congress' party.
06:167% jump, Rajdeep.
06:17It's not a small number.
06:18It's not a small number.
06:20The congress' party's performance is still seen by 32% as poor.
06:26Good has risen from 43% to 47%.
06:28Do you think congress is the real opposition party?
06:32Here is the good news for the congress now,
06:34because 66% are clearly saying congress is the real opposition party.
06:38So that question which lingered for a long time before 2020 for Lok Sabha
06:42has been seemingly settled.
06:44The congress is seen as the principal opposition party.
06:47Earlier, there were polls we did where Arvind Kejriwal and others
06:50were also seen as formidable opposition leaders.
06:53Which congress leader is best suited to lead the party?
06:57Rahul Gandhi was at 23% in August 2022.
07:01He's now up to 38%.
07:03So he's clearly seen as the face of his party now.
07:06Priyanka Gandhi, whose next best, was at 9% in 2022.
07:11He comes down to 7%.
07:13But by and large, Rahul Gandhi is now seen as the face of the congress and the opposition.
07:19Should India block continue?
07:21Yes says 63%, no says 25% and that comes to the point that Rajshen Gappa made.
07:28You need a much more cohesive opposition if you are going to take on prime minister.
07:32It can't become an individual personality, presidential style fight.
07:36You will need a wider opposition.
07:37And the final question that we raised on the opposition, best suited to lead the India block.
07:43Rahul Gandhi goes up from 24% in February 2025, the last time we did the poll, to 28%.
07:49Mamata Banerjee comes from 14% down to 8%.
07:52Akhilesh Yadav is more or less the same, 6% to 7%.
07:55Arvind Kejriwal is down from 9% to 6%.
07:59Remember, they lost Delhi in February.
08:01So, by and large, when I look at these numbers, can I say that Rahul Gandhi has now established himself as the face of the opposition?
08:10Absolutely.
08:11Rahul Gandhi, after the Bharat Jodo yatra, it's a complete reinvention of Rahul Gandhi.
08:16But if I may continue with Rajshen Gappa's cricket analogy, what he requires is consistency.
08:22So, batting like Rahul Dravid and more recently like Virat Kohli, you know, to use your language.
08:28So, if he bats consistently, he's always there.
08:31Narendra Modi is seen 24-7 on the job.
08:34If Rahul Gandhi is seen 24-7 on the job, half that battle is won.
08:39Okay, I'll just take that thought ahead.
08:42And also, issues have to be consistent.
08:45While before 2024 elections, there was this constitution pe khatre mein hai, now it is about vote chori.
08:52There has to be an alternate plan also to economic distress.
08:56That is not coming from the Congress.
08:57He needs a white paper on how will the Congress address India's economic challenge.
09:01A clear plan and you bang home that plan.
09:04Can I make a distinction?
09:05I just want to make a distinction.
09:07Acceptable as leader of opposition in parliament by other India bloc parties and opposition parties, yes.
09:12But acceptable to lead the India bloc.
09:15There's a big question mark on that because if you look at the figures there of a Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal and you hark back to their political parties, they don't think they're a part of the India bloc anymore.
09:23So, there is a resistance in accepting him still within the India bloc as the person who will lead the India bloc.
09:31In parliament, it's a different story.
09:32And that leads us to the larger question, is there still an India bloc?
09:36Is there a cohesive opposition?
09:38That's a good point.
09:39Take up the point to appreciate one thing which we need to, is the people of India.
09:47Public is very clear, India needs a strong opposition.
09:51Absolutely.
09:51Public is very clear, if India has an opposition, the center of that opposition, the pivotal point of that opposition is Congress.
09:58Public is also very clear, without the Gandhis, Congress is no way.
10:02So, appreciate the fact that public knows, understands and analyzes things in right perspective.
10:08Despite the Congress.
10:09Despite the Congress.
10:10And also, the numbers of two-thirds to 70% which public is saying all these things includes those who are supporting the BJP and those who are supporting Narendra Modi.
10:22Because if their cap is 48-50% and you are getting an emotion of 66-67% saying, you need India bloc, you need Congress in that, you need…
10:31That means people at large in this country want a stronger opposition.
10:36But I totally appreciate what Gaurav said.
10:39The problem are two foes.
10:40Number one, consistency.
10:42Because if you look at the MOTN numbers throughout the years for Rahul Gandhi, it has a zigzag movement.
10:47But, Yashwat, hasn't the consistency question been answered at least in the last one year?
10:52Because I actually don't see consistency as a problem.
10:54I see it as a problem where the other India alliance parties are concerned.
10:58Since, I'm giving you a one-year timeline.
11:00No, it's okay.
11:01Since election 2024, having lost three of the big elections right after that, Rahul Gandhi has been consistent.
11:06I agree with you.
11:07He's been on the ground and he's been consistent.
11:08So, he needs to be consistent, number one.
11:10As far as active political behavior is concerned, number one.
11:14Number two, personal attack against Modi.
11:18That is something which is a big writing on the wall.
11:22I don't know why they are unable to read it.
11:24Okay, let's ask Sanjay Jhaja.
11:26Sanjay Jhaja, that's the point in a way that the moment it becomes Rahul Gandhi versus Narendra Modi presidential contest,
11:34you're playing into Mr. Modi's hand.
11:35The moment you make it about policies, the moment you make it about the kind of organizational strength,
11:40you have a better chance.
11:41I mean, the India alliance, for God's sake, since 2024 hasn't even met to have a common minimum program,
11:47to work together.
11:48Some battles they fight together, others they don't.
11:51I mean, isn't that part of the problem?
11:53Let's acknowledge it.
11:54And leadership is about bringing people together.
11:57That's the challenge, really.
11:58Leadership is not just about soundbites.
12:00Soundbites, even I can give good soundbites.
12:02That doesn't make me a leader of the opposition.
12:06Razdeep, ironically, it's a contrarian view which is true.
12:09Let me tell you, in fact, your survey proves it.
12:12Number one, Mr. Modi has feet of clay.
12:17You know, this whole assumption that we're making that Mr. Modi is infallible,
12:21he's beyond reproach, is I think an argument that is now thinned out.
12:27And frankly, whether it's Operation Sindur, where we all agree that Mr. Modi's image has taken a massive dent,
12:33or in this vote chodi campaign, where Rahul is directly targeting Narendra Modi,
12:38using election commission as an instrument for hijacking elections,
12:42the attack is on Narendra Modi.
12:44So you think that works?
12:45You don't think that's counterproductive?
12:47You don't think it's counterproductive?
12:48I think it would have been counterproductive when Mr. Modi was riding a high.
12:54When Mr. Modi is now, frankly, looking extremely vulnerable,
12:58that would be the right strategy to actually take this forward.
13:01You have to now expose the chinks in his armor.
13:04And he, like any human being, has got feet of clay.
13:07It's pretty obvious.
13:08Okay.
13:09Sanju Varma's finger is raised again, which is again a warning to me.
13:12Go ahead, Sanju Varma.
13:15You know, Rajdeep, on a lighter note, I see the moment you talk about Rahul Gandhi,
13:19you know, you have that enigmatic smile on your face.
13:22You look so enthused.
13:24Now you become a face reader.
13:27In your young age, you are becoming a face reader.
13:29Okay.
13:30Now let me, let me, you know, I think Raj Chengappa gave a very interesting picket analogy.
13:34I would like to take that forward, but on a different note.
13:38You know, I've said this in the past, and I say this, you know, uninhibitedly.
13:44Narendra Modi is the only leader.
13:46He has the flair, the flamboyance, and the X-factor of a Virat Kohli.
13:51He has the consistency of a Rahul Dravid.
13:54He has the success and strike rate of a Sachin Tendulkar.
13:58And he has the resilience of a MS Dhoni.
14:01And, you know, being an MBA student and an economist, I was talking very early on in life.
14:06There's this famous marketing guru called Philip Kotlau.
14:08He said, when a product fails, the biggest disservice you can do to that product is to not take it off the shelf.
14:17Now I will tell you, Congress has three big negatives.
14:21First one, Rahul Gandhi.
14:24Second, Rahul Gandhi.
14:26Third, Rahul Gandhi.
14:27Rahul Gandhi, as Preeti said, has been very consistent.
14:31But in a negative sense is what I would like to point out.
14:34Show me one party, one NETA, who under his belt has 92 big and small defeats to his credit.
14:42And yet, the entire left liberal woke up on it.
14:47And Rahul Gandhi has done what he did with the US.
14:51Senju, I'm only talking about the last one here.
14:54In terms of narrative, being on ground, Rahul Gandhi has been consistent.
14:57He needs to sustain it.
14:59Number one, yes.
15:00No, no, no.
15:01You made your point.
15:03This was a question about the opposition.
15:05You made your point.
15:06You have said the Congress is big.
15:07Madam, you have made your points.
15:09Madam, Rahul Gandhi takes kindly to all the jibes that you make at him.
15:11I won't take that kindly.
15:13Don't be right.
15:13I can defend myself.
15:16He takes it kindly.
15:17I'm not going to take it kindly.
15:18Okay, okay.
15:19Please put down the finger on Sanyu.
15:23What's the point you want to make, Preeti?
15:24She says, Rahul Gandhi, according to Sanju Verma,
15:28has been consistent in the fact that he has led Congress to defeat after defeat.
15:31That's an argument that critics keep making.
15:33What's the answer there?
15:34Nobody is taking that away.
15:35I'm not here defending Rahul Gandhi.
15:37You see, with these numbers, there is that question also.
15:41Of course there is.
15:42I am looking at it purely by the data we have put on the screen.
15:46The data clearly seems to suggest that people are perceiving Rahul Gandhi
15:50as an able opposition leader.
15:52As an opposition leader.
15:53Not necessarily making the transition to being someone whom you can elect as government.
15:58No, one second.
15:59One second.
15:59Who is the second person, if not Narendra Modi, who?
16:02Rahul Gandhi.
16:03Yeah.
16:03But that's the gap is huge.
16:04Of course there is a gap.
16:06That's why he needs to be consistent.
16:07All I'm saying is, he needs to be consistent in being consistent.
16:11In what?
16:12Consistent in what?
16:12A, raising the right issues, keeping the narrative going and hitting the ground.
16:16What's the narrative?
16:17Well, in the last one year, haven't you seen a change?
16:20Ever since, like I said, he took a big defeat where he lost 2-3 to the NDA, where the NDA
16:26won three big elections which he thought he was going to win.
16:29He didn't disappear, no?
16:31He came back.
16:32He raised the caste census.
16:33He made sure, or at least he can, you know, to his audience take credit, that the government
16:38introduced the caste census because it was the rallying point of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.
16:43From there, he moved on to Operation Sindhur Happens.
16:47At that point of time, at least the opposition parties got the narrative right.
16:50They supported the government.
16:51And he did so publicly.
16:53But there were questions that needed to be answered at the back of the ceasefire.
16:57They raised it in parliament and outside.
16:59They got the narrative right there.
17:00Okay, so you're saying that Rahul Gandhi has been consistent in getting his narrative right.
17:05Okay, Amitabh Tiwari, therefore, is the jury still out on Rahul Gandhi?
17:09I wrote once in one of my books, Rahul Gandhi has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
17:13Have we moved away from that to now with these poll numbers clearly showing that Rahul Gandhi
17:20is challenger number one?
17:21And should that lead Sanju Verma to smile even more broadly?
17:24Or should she be guilty of being complacent?
17:28See, the numbers clearly show that he has consolidated his support as the tallest opposition leader.
17:34So what is Congress, let's say, missing in its armor as you asked?
17:40One is that when the Prime Minister Modi came in 2014, he had a Gujarat model of development on his back.
17:47The Congress party needs to create a Telangana or a Karnataka model of development
17:52where it is in power for the next four to five years.
17:56And also on that model of development, win the state elections in 2023
18:00to showcase that it has a model which has worked successfully.
18:05That is number one.
18:06Second is that he represents an alternative style of leadership.
18:10He is not Narendra Modi.
18:12People do vote on leadership, but he is appealing to a section of voters
18:16who do not or who, let's say, embrace leaders
18:19who are like them, like an armed army, reaching out to people,
18:24listening with the people, etc.
18:25So these are very two contrasting styles of leadership.
18:29That is number two.
18:30And the third is that consistency is, of course, is required.
18:35But on the main issues of unemployment, price rise and economic growth,
18:41if you do a word check on what Rahul Gandhi has spoken in the last one, one and a half years,
18:47these words would not get priority.
18:50It would be social justice, vote, churi, etc, etc.
18:53What we need, what the people need perhaps is a strong opposition.
18:57But to switch from NDA to your UPA or India block,
19:01they need clear solutions for unemployment, price rise and economic growth.
19:05There is another challenge, if I may.
19:07The challenge for the opposition is, for the Congress to grow,
19:14it has to grow in Uttar Pradesh.
19:16Will it be at the cost of the Samajwadi Party?
19:18If it has to grow in Bihar, will it be at the cost of RJD?
19:21Will they fight together or will they fight each other?
19:23In six months, West Bengal.
19:25Absolutely, in West Bengal.
19:27So where will the Congress Party grow?
19:29If their only aim is to defeat the BJP,
19:31they will keep tying up with regional parties.
19:33And this is a problem they've grappled with for, you know, quarter of a century
19:36and always taken a hit.
19:38I think you raise a very important point.
19:40Because the truth of the matter is, as we've seen,
19:43and even to some extent in 2024, less so,
19:45whenever there were direct contests between the BJP and Congress,
19:49especially in 2014 and 19, it was advantage BJP.
19:52It was the regional parties, as some data shows,
19:55that pulled the Congress up in several states.
19:57UP being a classic example.
19:59Can the Congress, therefore, and this number is important,
20:02India Alliance, 63% are saying we want an alliance.
20:05It's not just Congress only or Rahul Gandhi only.
20:07Exactly, that's the problem.
20:08The problem is the Congress seems to believe it's Rahul Gandhi only
20:11or the Congress only that can challenge Mr. Modi.
20:13Does the Congress realize that it's only when they are united,
20:16Sanjay Jha, very quickly, with the others,
20:18that you've got to concede space.
20:20The days of arrogance are over.
20:22Ekla chalo re is over.
20:24The days ke hamara hi neta neta banega are over.
20:27Rajdeep in six years...
20:27I'm seeing it even in Bihar.
20:29Let's be honest, on the ground,
20:31Teja Svi Yadav is the real leader of Bihar.
20:33And the Congress hasn't endorsed him directly.
20:34Rajdeep, next year you're going into West Bengal,
20:36you're going into Punjab.
20:37You're taking on an Aam Admi Party,
20:38who's technically a part of your India Alliance,
20:40and you're taking out on TMC, which is your alliance.
20:41So, Sanjay Jha, do you believe that that wake-up call also that the Congress needs,
20:46that you've got to start putting your...
20:47You've got to start trusting others only,
20:49not the old Congress ki hami hai.
20:52Yeah.
20:53You know, Rajdeep, I think the Congress has become pragmatic.
20:56It's learned from its bitter defeats.
20:58And it has to lead the India Alliance.
21:00Obviously, it is the linchpin of the entire alliance.
21:03But let me tell you, on Bihar, it is conceded...
21:05It's not our common minimum program.
21:07No, no.
21:07I'm just coming to that.
21:09Dejashvi is the chief ministerial face of the alliance in Bihar.
21:13There's no doubt about it.
21:14I think that next year's elections are critical.
21:17That's right.
21:17Because both Kerala and Assam can be two states
21:22that the Congress can win on its own.
21:25And Tamil Nadu made it look a little easier.
21:27Puddu Cheri is up for grabs.
21:28I think the Congress needs to win Assam
21:31to make a statement that it can defeat BJP head-on.
21:35That's the critical messaging that the Congress needs to send.
21:37Rajdeep.
21:38Okay.
21:38Rajdeep, we saw...
21:39Yes, yes, Parya, final word.
21:40Just one point.
21:41You know, we have seen that...
21:42No, madam, madam, sorry.
21:43...in the last 70 years,
21:44whenever there is a transition from a strong government
21:47to another strong government,
21:49there is that interim period of five to six years
21:51or perhaps seven, eight or ten years
21:53when there is coalition governments.
21:55That is the reason why we are seeing this
21:57milli-juli kind of argument in the opposition space.
22:00Where the opposition is still taking shape,
22:02although Rahul Gandhi is the face,
22:03still the opposition, you know,
22:05how will...
22:06Whether the growth of the Congress
22:08will come at the cost of the RJD
22:09or the Samarwadi Party,
22:10that will be answered in the due course.
22:12But if there is a Rahul Gandhi
22:13who is the principal opposition,
22:16who is able to work around with the egos
22:18and, you know,
22:20other ambitions of leaders
22:23like a Tejasvi and an Akhilesh,
22:25then perhaps it will be an answer.
22:26That's the challenge.
22:27You know, that's the challenge.
22:28That's what Sonia Gandhi achieved
22:29to a large extent in 2003,
22:31before the 2004,
22:33was willing to put her ego aside
22:34to reach out to other opposition leaders.
22:36So maybe that is what is happening right now.
22:37That may well be one of the many challenges
22:40that Rahul Gandhi...
22:40But decoding Rahul Gandhi
22:42will remain a permanent subject.
22:44According to Sanju Verma,
22:45I get very enthused by it.
22:46I get enthused when I talk about
22:48Narendra Modi as well.
22:49I get very enthused when I speak to you,
22:51Sanju Verma, as well.
22:52So relax.
22:54Don't go on Twitter and say
22:55you weren't given enough time
22:56that you can debate on another day.
Be the first to comment