Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has declared that democracy in India is fighting back after what he perceives as a decade of weakening. During a press conference in Washington DC as part of his three-day trip to the United States, Gandhi asserted that the Indian democracy, which he believes has been under attack, is now showing signs of resilience.
Gandhi pointed to the recent Lok Sabha elections, where the Congress party significantly increased its seat count, as evidence of this resurgence. He attributed this gain to the Indian voter’s resilience and knowledge, despite facing significant challenges. He highlighted the Congress party’s struggles during the campaign, including frozen bank accounts, numerous legal cases against party leaders, and what he described as an uneven political playing field.
He stated, “We fought an election with our bank accounts frozen. I don’t know any democracy where that’s happened. Maybe that type of thing happened in Syria or used to happen in Iraq. But we literally sat during our election and spoke to our treasurer and he says, well, we have no money.”
He added, “I’ve got 20-plus cases in me. I’m the only person in Indian history to get a prison sentence for defamation. We have a chief minister who’s in jail (Arvind Kejriwal) right now.”
Gandhi’s remarks, however, come after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 240 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, falling short of a majority. The BJP, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ultimately formed the government with the support of allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The Congress, part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, won 99 seats, contributing to the bloc’s total of 293 seats.
While acknowledging the Indian voter’s strength, Gandhi emphasized that a fair and equitable political system is essential for democracy to truly function. He also criticized Prime Minister Modi’s leadership style and his claims of divine connection, arguing that these tactics ultimately failed to resonate with voters. “Here’s a prime minister of a modern country in the 21st century telling people that I speak to God. I’m different than everybody else. You are biological people. I’m a non-biological person. I have a direct link to God. And that for us was a game over (for the prime minister during the elections). We knew that we had defeated the prime minister,” he said.
Gandhi’s statements, while critical of the current political climate, offer a glimmer of hope for the future of democracy in India. He suggests that the resilience of the Indian voter, despite facing significant challenges, could be a driving force for positive change in the coming years.
