Rahul Gandhi to India Inc at CII meet: Don't give power to one person, give it to a billion

New Delhi: In an hour-long session that included a speech, a Q and A session which saw him walking around with a mic, many anecdotes about late-night train journeys and chats with villagers and young people in search of opportunity, Rahul Gandhi shared his vision of 21st century India.  It is a "beehive," he said, to an audience of 1,000 industrialists.

Mr Gandhi, dressed in a white kurta-pyjama and without the stubble that has been a recent trademark, said the beehive is buzzing with the energy and aspirations of a billion people, brimming with complexity and innovations, but that unlike a beehive, where every voice is heard, India's system is "clogged." (Highlights of Rahul Gandhi's speech)

In fact, in his address to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), he referred repeatedly to the need to overhaul the political system and decentralize power.  

India, he said, believes in "the man who comes in on a horse, the sun in the background, a billion people waiting, and he is going to fix everything.  No, that's not going to happen."  (Rate his speech here)

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Warming up to that theme, he warned, "Give one individual all the power you want, he cannot solve the problems of a billion people. Give a billion people the power to solve their problems, it will be done immediately."

That remark was seen by some as a reference to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, whose industry-friendly policies have won massive investments from India's top corporate houses. Though neither Mr Modi nor Mr Gandhi have been named the prime ministerial candidates of their parties, the national election will be centred to a large extent on their face-off.

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Of whether he will accept the country's top job if his party is re-elected, the 42-year-old said speculation in the press about whether he will get married and become Prime Minister are "irrelevant...it's all smoke."

Mr Gandhi did not acknowledge that his party has been in power more than any other, and is therefore accountable at least in part for the many flaws he highlighted (Watch: Rahul's Q&A session with India Inc)

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He was candid that his own lofty status - he is second in the Congress only to his mother, Sonia, who is president- is based on "DNA." "It's an accident of fate ... I happen to come from a chain of people," he said.

He used the colloquial "Boss" repeatedly, appeared casual and relaxed for the most part, made a joke about his concerns about balding, and acknowledged the criticism that he does not share his views.  "Frankly, I should do this more often," he said.