Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, continued his criticism of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a recent event with the Indian diaspora in Herndon, Virginia. Gandhi asserted that the “fear of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” among the Indian populace has dissipated following the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing attendees at the event on Monday, Gandhi alleged that the BJP and PM Modi had fostered widespread fear and exerted pressure through agencies on small businesses, a tactic that he claims has now disappeared almost instantly.
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#WATCH | Herndon, Virginia, USA: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, “…BJP don’t understand that this country is of everyone…India is a union. In the Constitution, it is written clearly… India that is Bharat is a union state, histories, tradition music and… pic.twitter.com/AuV3wuKO3H
— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2024
“Something has changed after the elections. Some people said ‘Darr nahi lagta ab, dar nikal gaya ab’ (We are not afraid anymore, the fear is gone now). It is interesting to me that the BJP and PM Modi spread so much fear, and the pressure of agencies on small businesses, everything vanished within seconds. It took years for them to spread this fear and vanished within seconds,” Gandhi said, as reported by news agency ANI.
He further dismissed the grandeur associated with PM Modi, stating, “In Parliament, I see the Prime Minister right up front and I can tell you that the idea of Mr Modi, 56-inch chest, direct connection with God, that’s all gone now, it’s all history now.”
Also read: Rahul Gandhi Hails Indians in US as ‘Bridge’ Between Nations
Engagements in Washington
During his visit to the United States, Rahul Gandhi also met with students at Georgetown University before addressing the diaspora event in Virginia. He is scheduled to spend two days in Washington before returning to Delhi.
In his speech, Gandhi reiterated his critique of the BJP’s vision for India, claiming, “The BJP doesn’t understand that this country is of everyone… India is a union. In the Constitution, it is written clearly… India that is Bharat, is a union state, histories, tradition music and dance. They (BJP) say it is not a union, it is different.”
BJP’s Counterattack
The BJP responded sharply to Gandhi’s comments. Gaurav Bhatia, a national spokesperson for the BJP, described Gandhi as a “black spot” in Indian democracy. He accused Gandhi of attempting to undermine Indian democracy with his remarks abroad, which Bhatia linked to a purported memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Congress and the Chinese Communist Party during the UPA regime.
“Everyone knows that Rahul Gandhi is an immature and part-time leader. But people have put a huge responsibility on his shoulders since he became the leader of opposition (in the Lok Sabha). But I feel sad to say that Rahul Gandhi is a black spot in Indian democracy. He does not even know what to talk about when he visits a foreign country,” Bhatia told reporters at the BJP headquarters.
Bhatia’s remarks followed Gandhi’s critique of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during the event in the US. Gandhi had alleged, “The BJP and the RSS believe that women should be restricted to a particular role. They should stay at home, they should cook the food, they should not talk too much and we believe that women should aspire to whatever they want to do.”
India- a Multiplicity of Ideas
He also claimed, “The RSS believes that India is one idea. We believe that India is a multiplicity of ideas. We believe that everybody should be allowed to participate, allowed to dream and should be given space regardless of their caste, language, religion, tradition, or history. This is the fight and the fight was crystallized in the election when millions of people in India clearly understood that the Prime Minister of India was attacking the Constitution of India.”
He further referred to the Constitution as the cornerstone of contemporary India and claimed that it is the source of every word he has ever said. He claimed that when he emphasized the Constitution during the election, people understood what he was saying.
“I saw it happening when I used to raise the Constitution, people understood what I was saying. They were saying that the BJP is attacking our tradition, attacking our language, attacking our states, attacking our histories. Most importantly, what they understood was that anybody who is attacking the Constitution of India is also attacking our religious tradition,” said the Leader of Opposition.
