India, Sept. 1 -- In August 2025, former Union minister Smriti Irani made an interesting observation during a podcast. She said that the politics of Rahul Gandhi, whom she defeated from Amethi in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, has changed. The examples of the change she observed were Gandhi donning a white T-shirt, instead of the traditional kurta-pyjama, to connect with the younger generation while also repeatedly raising issues of jobs and quality of life.

Like Irani, many leaders in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believe that Gandhi's image has changed drastically over the years. They admit that his voice inside and outside the Parliament was being heard more and the biggest reason for this image change was his Bharat Jodo Yatra, in w...