Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, currently on a visit to Colombia, stirred debate on Friday with an unusual analogy comparing motorcycles and cars to explain the shift towards electric mobility.
Addressing students at EIA University, Gandhi posed a striking question: “To carry one passenger, you need 3,000 kg of metal in a car, while a 100-kg motorcycle carries two passengers. Why is it that a motorcycle can manage with just 150 kg of metal, but a car requires 3,000?”
The Congress MP argued that the answer lies in the engine design. “In a motorcycle, during an impact, the engine flies out and doesn’t harm the rider. In a car, the engine comes inward, so the vehicle is designed to prevent it from killing you. That is why cars are so much heavier,” Gandhi explained.
Linking his observation to the future of transport, he claimed that electric vehicles break away from this centralised engine structure. “The electric motor allows you to put a motor here, there, everywhere. It decentralises power, and that is its real effectiveness,” he said, suggesting EVs could reshape automotive design.
However, his remarks were quickly dismissed by the BJP, with the party’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya branding the explanation “gibberish.” “I haven’t heard this much gibberish in one go. If anyone can decode what Rahul Gandhi is saying, I’d be glad to be enlightened. But if you are as amused as I am, rest assured, you are not alone,” Malviya said.
Automobile Talk or Political Metaphor?
While Gandhi presented his comments as a technical observation, many saw a deeper political undertone. The analogy, some argue, echoed his earlier February statement emphasising the need to decentralise political power, comparing traditional engines to centralised authority and electric motors to a more distributed system.
At its core, Gandhi’s remarks highlight the ongoing global transition to clean energy and electric vehicles. But in India’s charged political climate, even a discussion on engines and mobility has turned into another flashpoint between the Congress leader and the BJP.
