Structures of democracy under brutal attack in India: Rahul Gandhi in UK

The media, the institutional frameworks, the judiciary and parliament are all under attack, Rahul Gandhi said.

Mar 05, 2023

The structures of India's democracy are under brutal attack and the opposition is fighting the institutional structures of the country, Rahul Gandhi said during a session in the UK with the Indian Journalists' Association.

"The reason the Bharat Jodo Yatra became necessary is because the structures of our democracy are under brutal attack. The media, the institutional frameworks, the judiciary and parliament are all under attack. And we were finding it very difficult to put our voice and the voice of the people through normal channels… This has never been seen in modern India before," Gandhi said.

Speaking about the crucial general elections in 2024 and what he thought will help win it - perception or performance, Gandhi said: "Things are not black and white: perception or performance. There's a lot of anger against the BJP. In the Bharat Jodo Yatra, there was an undercurrent of anger. You don't hear about it in the media."

So is the opposition uniting against the BJP?

"There's a lot of coordination that goes on with the opposition parties. There are conversations going on between the parties. I am aware of many of them," the Congress scion said.

"The basic idea that the RSS and the BJP need to be fought and need to be defeated is deeply entrenched in the minds of the opposition. There is no question about that. There are tactical issues that require discussion. Some states are very simple. Others are slightly more complicated. But the opposition is very much capable of having this discussion and resolving it," he said, adding, "The opposition in India is no longer fighting a political party. We are fighting the institutional structure of India now. We are fighting the RSS and the BJP, which have captured almost all India's institutions. Institutions are not neutral."

Asked about the media in India showing the narrative of the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said: "Mass mobilization is very, very powerful. As far as intimidation of any type is concerned, I don't like it. I believe in non-violence and I don't like intimidation. That's my personal view."

The Congress leader also spoke about billionaire investor George Soros' remarks on the Adani issue. Soros had said, "This will significantly weaken Modi's stranglehold on India's federal government and open the door to push for much-needed institutional reforms. I may be naive, but I expect a democratic revival in India."

"George Soros might have his view," Rahul Gandhi said. "But I am not really interested in that view. I believe what I see with my own eyes in India. I can see that Mr Adani has gone from being the 609th richest man to the second richest man in a matter of three years. I can see he is rewarded across the board, allowed to dominate industries and we do not need George Soros to tell us that."