Rahul Gandhi Remark On Coca Cola, McDonald’s: Closer To Truth Than You Think

Rahul Gandhi became the object of widespread derision on social media following his statement at the OBC Sammelan, likening the founder of Coca Cola to a shikanji seller and that of McDonald's to a dhaba owner. The hashtag #AccordingtoRahulGandhi rode twitter among the trending ones for a long time that day.

The BJP went to town defending PM Modi's statement on 'pakoras' providing jobs—Amit Shah made a reference to it in his Rajya Sabha speech, as well. The party needs to introspect whether 'pakoras' proving to be an employment generation source as an idea, is superior to Coca Cola having been founded by a 'shikanji' seller.

Rahul Gandhi implied that starting with modest beginnings, Coca Cola became a worldwide giant. A pharmacist from Atlanta, Dr. John Pemberton, tried experimenting with flavoured syrup, which was liked by those who sampled it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Also Read: Amethi Residents Sell Petrol, Diesel At Low Rates To Ring In Rahul Gandhi’s Birthday

As regards McDonald's Rahul Gandhi wasn't entirely wide off the mark. The founders first established drive-in restaurants about 70 years ago. Again, from very small beginnings, McDonald's became a global brand and a household name. Other examples cited by Rahul Gandhi were equally relevant, Henry Ford, Honda and Benz, illustrating success stories built on individual enterprise.

It is not as if Rahul Gandhi has not had his fair share of gaffes. Some may feel that he has indeed earned the tag of Pappu with statements like “poverty is just a state of mind” and the SC community "needs the escape velocity of Jupiter." But one must not always miss the wood for the trees. Rahul Gandhi's references to Coca Cola and McDonald's provided an opportunity to the trolls on social media to mete out mob justice, forgetting what PM Modi had said on pakoras.