Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, took a swipe at the Narendra Modi government on Thursday, asserting that the biggest challenge India is witnessing is the attack on its democracy.
Speaking at an event at EIA University of Colombia on Thursday (2 October), the Congress leader said he is “very optimistic about India, but at the same time, there are fault lines within India’s system that it has to overcome”.
He said, “The single biggest issue is the attack on democracy that is taking place in India. India is actually a conversation among its people. Different traditions, religions, and ideas require space, and the best method for creating that space is the democratic system.”
“Currently, there is a wholesale attack on this democratic system, and that is a major risk. Another big risk is the tension between different conceptions in parts of the country. With 16-17 major languages and many religions, it is crucial to allow these diverse traditions to thrive and give them the space they need,” Gandhi added.
Rahul Gandhi further opined that allowing different traditions to thrive is very important. “We cannot do what China does – suppress voices and run an authoritarian society,” he said.
‘India is a completely different system from China’: Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi also compared India with China, saying, “India is a completely different system than China.”
He said, “India has tremendous potential. It’s size is bigger than China now in terms of population. But India is a completely different system than China.”
He explained, “…whereas China is very centralised, uniform, India is decentralised, and has multiple languages, multiple cultures, multiple traditions, multiple religions.”
“So India is a much more complex system. And India’s strengths, which exist, are not necessarily China’s strengths. They’re different…,” Rahul Gandhi said.
‘Don’t think India sees itself as leading the world’: Gandhi
At EIA University, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said, “I don’t think India sees itself as leading the world. We are a large country, and we believe in partnerships.”
“We are not arrogant enough to believe that we should lead the world. The idea that India should lead the world – India doesn’t view itself like this; maybe China thinks of itself this way,” he said.
BJP slams Rahul Gandhi: ‘Goes to abroad, insults India’
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Rahul Gandhi over his “democracy under attack” remarks in Colombia, accusing him of “insulting” India during his visit abroad.
“Everything Rahul Gandhi says is baseless,” he said, adding, “When he is abroad, he says there is no democracy in India. While overseas, he insults India.”
Shankar Prasad said, “…In Bogota, Colombia, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi stated that there is no democracy in India and people don’t have the freedom to speak.”
“Rahul Gandhi abuses PM Modi, the development of the nation, the most…If you go abroad and insult India, the public will not vote for you and you will not win the seats that you won this time,” Prasad said.
On Gandhi’s comments regarding China, Prasad said, “Your love for China is evident, and you never miss an opportunity to insult India. We strongly condemn this…”
He said, “Now you’re praising China, saying that India can’t become a major global power, but China can lead the world…Today, India is the world’s fourth-largest economy and is on its way to becoming the third.”
Prasad said Rahul Gandhi has developed “a habit of defaming the nation and questioning the freedoms enjoyed by its people, and that too while on foreign soil.”
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut called Rahul Gandhi a “disgrace”.
She said, “If he says that the people of this country are quarrelsome and dishonest, that they don’t know what’s good for them, and that their minds don’t work when they vote and that someone else should come and save democracy here then he is implying that the people of this country are brainless. He brings shame to the nation, and the nation is ashamed of him.”
About the Author
