Our democratic structures are being ‘savagely attacked’: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that Indian democratic structures are under “savage attack” and talks are on among opposition parties to unite around an alternative vision for the country. The former Congress president also alleged that the recent tax survey action against BBC was an example of “suppression of voice across the country”. He said this is the reason why he undertook the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as an expression of his voice against the efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to silence the country.

“The visit has become necessary because our democratic structure is under barbaric attack,” Gandhi told reporters at India Insights, a program organized by the Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA) here. “The media, the institutional framework, the judiciary, the Parliament are all under attack and we were finding it very difficult to put forth the issues of the people through normal channels,” he said.

He said, “BBC has just come to know about this, but in India this process is going on continuously for the last nine years. It is well known that journalists are intimidated, attacked and threatened. Journalists who advocate for the government are rewarded. So, it’s part of a pattern and I wouldn’t expect anything different. If BBC stops writing against the government then everything will be normal. All matters will disappear.”

Gandhi expressed regret that the democratic parts of the world, including the US and Europe, have failed to take cognizance that “a large part of democracy has been destroyed”. He said, “BJP wants India to remain silent. They want it to be calm… because they want to be able to take what belongs to India and give it to their close friends. The idea is to divert people’s attention and then hand over India’s wealth to three, four, five people.

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