Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked the media why it allowed Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani special privileges but did not afford him the same. In answer, the journalists present at the news conference in New Delhi laughed.

“I need to ask this New Year question. Why am I not allowed to use a teleprompter? Maine kya galti ki hai (What wrong have I done)?” he said.

“Aap Prime Minister ko teleprompter use karne dete ho. Aap doosron ko bhi teleprompter use karne dete ho. Toh mujhe kyon nahin?” Rahul continued, laughing.

“You allow the Prime Minister to use the teleprompter. You allow others too to use the teleprompter. Then why not me?”

The question came at the end of the news conference — Rahul’s ninth since the Bharat Jodo Yatra began on September 7. But he had warned at the outset that he would ask one.

While Prime Minister Modi does not address news conferences, he has often been photographed delivering speeches with teleprompters on the lectern. When a journalist asked whether Rahul needed a teleprompter, he chuckled and retorted: “Option toh hona chahiye (I should have the option).”

Then he said: “I have a more interesting question — Aapne to Adaniji ko woh option de diya jo PM ko bhi nahin diya. Kursi badalne ka (You gave Adaniji an option that you didn’t even give the Prime Minister, to change the chair).” Peals of laughter followed.

During an interview with the India Today TV channel on Wednesday, industrialist Gautam Adani was seen sitting in two different chairs — the source of much mirth on social media. Twitter users commented on the “two chairs in 10 seconds” and described the interview as “scripted, rehearsed and delivered through the help of teleprompters”.

While the chair switch can be seen in some videos of the interview posted by India Today and Aaj Tak on December 28, it is not visible in some other videos available on social media.

“Hamen kuchh bhi nahin, hamne kya galti kar dee (Nothing at all for us. What mistake have we made)?”

Rahul asked, laughing. While he presented it as a joke, there was no mistaking the point Rahul was making: that the media shields the government, the Prime Minister and his friends from uncomfortable questions and does not seek accountability from them. He did this on New Year’s Eve, coaxing the media to introspect in the New Year, which is going to be crucial before the next parliamentary election in 2024.

Rahul insisted that the battle was not a tactical or political contest but an old clash between two visions and ideologies. Saying the Bharat Jodo Yatra had so far achieved a lot, beyond the party’s imagination, he added:

“We didn’t start with a preconceived notion. But we soon discovered that the Yatra is a live experience, a voice, an emotion that is telling us something. We have to listen. We can’t insult India’s voice by deciding what next at this stage. Let’s listen first.”

He added: “I thank the RSS-BJP for attacking us. We get a chance to improve our position. We want them to be more aggressive. They show me what not to do. I have understood one thing better now, that the truth cannot be suppressed. No matter how powerful a campaign, they have spent Rs 5,000-6,000 crore to destroy my image but that won’t make a difference.”

About himself, Rahul said his convictions had become stronger during the Yatra. He laughed away questions about wearing a T-shirt in the cold, saying: “I will make a video after the Yatra on how not to feel cold.” Grilled further, he said: “Ek baat mujhe batao, ye T-shirt se itni disturbance kyon hai (Tell me one thing, why is this T-shirt disturbing you so much)? I will wear woollens when I feel cold. But I can tell you I don’t fear the cold.”

Asked about the Prime Minister describing this period as “Amrit Kaal” while the Yatra was talking about the problems of divisive politics, unemployment, prices and political autocracy, he said: “These are two different viewpoints. Let them say what they feel, we will say what we see.”

All the Opposition leaders understand the importance of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and support it, but there are compulsions that keep some of them away, he said.

Rahul stressed the centrality of the Congress in the fight against the BJP while acknowledging the need for mutual respect among Opposition parties.

While he largely ignored organisational questions, arguing that party president Mallikarjun Kharge would take those decisions, he did say: “Take it from me, the Congress will sweep Madhya Pradesh. The BJP won’t be visible. Everybody knows this government was stolen. People are angry, there is a storm against the BJP.”