Sachin Rao, head of the Congress Training Department, said the exercise was meant to reinforce discipline among participants. Gandhi accepted the punishment cheerfully and performed the push-ups before the assembled district presidents.
During his address, Rahul Gandhi also gave a live demonstration of Jujutsu, using it as a metaphor for political resilience. Dressed in training attire, he urged leaders to “keep their grip strong on the ground” and remain focused despite distractions. “If someone tries to pull you down, embrace them. Never lose your footingreal strength lies in staying grounded,” he said.
In his 45-minute session, Gandhi emphasized that political power stems from public trust, not proximity to senior leaders. “You don’t gain real power by circling leaders; it comes from working among people,” he told the participants.
District presidents reportedly raised concerns about whether their work would be fairly evaluated. Gandhi assured them that he personally monitors performance and advised them to “focus on work, not on reporting.”
He also interacted informally with the families of district presidents, inquiring about their children’s education and career goals — a gesture many described as a first-of-its-kind personal engagement by the party chief.
On Sunday, senior Congress leaders including Digvijaya Singh, Shashikant Senthil, and Ashok Singh conducted further sessions on political strategy, organizational expansion, and the Congress Mission 2028 roadmap.
