Rahul Gandhi, arguably the most strident of Opposition voices now, was calling power poison when his party was still governing India. This speech is from 2013.
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00:00Last night every single one of you congratulated me many of you came hugged me, but last night
00:06My mother came to my room and she sat with me and she cried
00:30I
00:38Want to talk to you about power
00:41Last night every single one of you congratulated me many of you came hugged me and congratulated me
00:50Everybody congratulated me
00:55But last night my mother came to my room
01:00And she sat with me and she cried why did she cry?
01:05She cried because she understands that the power so many people seek is actually a poison
01:14She can see it because of what it does to the people
01:20Around and to the people they love
01:24But most importantly she can see it
01:27Because she is not attached to it
01:30The only antidote to this poison
01:33Is for all of us to see it for what it really is and not become attached to it
01:41We should not chase power
01:43For the attributes of power. We should only use it to empower the voiceless
01:52It is
01:54My mother's experience of a lifetime. It is my experience
02:00Over eight years, and I'm sure many of you here who deal with power every day
02:06understand what I am saying and
02:08realize
02:10the positive and the negative and
02:14We mustn't forget
02:16That there is negative and that you have to be very careful when you administer power and when you use power
02:22Today India is not like it was in 1984. We are no longer worthless
02:27Sorry, we are no longer seen as worthless
02:30Today the entire world is courting us
02:33Today we are the future
02:36And as I said before
02:38Nations are not built on schemes and plans
02:41They are raised on a foundation of hope. I'm standing here
02:46Because I believe that the Congress Party is a symbol of this hope and has a potential to embody it
02:53I'd like to end
02:55Again by saying that for me
03:00The Congress Party is now my life
03:07The people of India are my life
03:16And I will fight for the people of India and for this party
03:23I
03:28Will fight with everything I have