Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said India was no longer a democracy, asserting that the country’s democratic system was destroyed in 2014 and that the Opposition remained in shock for nearly a decade as the political and electoral landscape underwent a dramatic shift.
Addressing the Bharat Summit 2026 in Hyderabad, Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition had initially struggled to understand what was happening in Indian politics after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
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“In 2014, we witnessed a completely new kind of election, something we had never seen before. Millions and millions of dollars were pumped into the political system. There was a completely new type of campaign, a kind of political drama we had never witnessed before,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi said an electoral system accustomed to close contests and coalition governments was suddenly upturned, leaving the Opposition in shock for nearly a decade.
“I would be lying if I said the Opposition was not in shock. We were in shock, not for a year, not for two years, but for an entire decade,” he said.
He claimed that the Congress and other Opposition parties began examining election results across states to understand the political changes. Referring to Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Opposition had received almost the same number of votes in the national and state elections, but the results were dramatically different.
He claimed that seven million new voters had been added to the electoral rolls in the three months between the two elections and that every one of them had voted for the BJP.
“I can give you similar examples from state after state,” he said, adding that the Congress had examined the details and found evidence to support its concerns.
“What we have found and proven is that India is actually no longer a democracy,” Rahul Gandhi stated.
RAHUL GANDHI’S FASCIST JIBE
During the address, Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at the ruling party in India, calling them fascists.
He drew a distinction between two kinds of people, describing one group as those who believe they know everything and have answers to every question, while the other comprises people who remain curious, listen to others and are willing to acknowledge their mistakes.
He said the first category could be found in business, academia and politics, adding that such people were convinced they knew everything. “In politics, we call them fascists,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that such people tend to shout and scream rather than listen, while the majority remains humble and pays attention to different perspectives.
“Fascists tend to have a louder voice. Historically, fascists emerge when systems collapse. When everything is working, they go into hiding. But when systems and structures collapse, they suddenly emerge, create a nuisance for a little while, and then disappear again,” he said.
Describing the current political situation as a fight between these two groups, Gandhi said the past decade had seen those he described as fascists dominate public discourse, while the majority watched in confusion and shock.
RAHUL GANDHI ON DELEGATES DENIED INDIA ENTRY
Rahul Gandhi also apologised to international delegates and leaders who were scheduled to attend the Bharat Summit but were not allowed to enter India. “I would like to apologise to the many delegates and leaders who were scheduled to attend but were not allowed to come by the Government of India. I apologise. It is not our fault, but it gives you a sense of what we are dealing with in our country,” he said.
His remarks come amid a controversy over the denial of entry to foreign speakers invited to the two-day summit.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had on Friday claimed that 115 of the 315 speakers cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs had either been refused entry into India or had their visas cancelled, apparently on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Tharoor questioned the legal basis for the decision and criticised the Centre, saying a democracy should not suppress voices it fears could be critical.
Responding to questions about the controversy, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said visa matters were sovereign functions of any country or government.
The two-day Bharat Summit, backed by the Congress-led Telangana government, has brought together policymakers, political leaders, thinkers and representatives from countries across the Global South and Global North. The event is aimed at providing a platform for discussions on global cooperation, democracy, economic justice and other international issues.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
