Indian Democracy Under Attack From This Govt’, Says Rahul Gandhi in Cambridge University Speech

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, former President of India's Congress Party, on Tuesday addressed a lecture on the topic 'Learning to Listen in the 21st Century' at Cambridge University. Speaking at the university’s Judge Business School, he exhorted the need to encourage a global democratic environment instead of a restrictive one. He delivered a speech titled "The India Way: A New Approach to an Old Idea".

The speech was delivered at the invitation of the Cambridge Union Society and focused on the topic of democracy and India's place in the world.

During his speech, Rahul Gandhi expressed concerns over the state of democracy in India, saying that it is "under attack" from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He criticised the BJP for its divisive politics and for using the government machinery to silence dissenting voices.

According to a report in The Hindustan Times, he claimed that Indian democracy was under attack and said the Opposition was under ‘constant pressure’ of being slapped with unreasonable criminal cases. Rahul added that the fundamental factors in a democracy - Parliament, free press, judiciary - were facing restrictions.

“I have got a number of criminal liable cases for things that should under no circumstances be criminal liable cases…Everybody knows and it's been in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack," the Congress MP said in his address.

Describing a picture of himself being held by police, Gandhi said that leaders of Opposition parties were ‘jailed for merely standing and discussing issues in front of the Parliament House’. “That's happened 3 or 4 times…relatively violently. You have also heard of the attacks on minorities and the press. You get a sense of what is going on,” he said.

"Indian democracy is under attack. It is under attack from the current government. They are using financial power, they are using anger, they are using hate to undermine the institutions of India," Gandhi said.

According to a report in the NDTV, he alleged that an attack has been unleashed on the basic structure of Indian democracy while also claiming that Israeli spyware Pegasus was being used to snoop into his phone. Mr Gandhi claimed that he had been warned by the intelligence officers to be "careful" while speaking on the phone as his calls were being recorded.

Gandhi also recollected incidents from his recently concluded 4,000-km Bharat Jodo Yatra across 12 states. Explaining the power of listening and non-violence, he narrated a ‘face-to-face encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’. Despite being warned by the security personnel of terrorist attacks, he continued the walk. An unknown man, who approached Rahul and asked him whether he had actually come to listen to the people of the valley, pointed to a group of ‘militants’ standing nearby.

“I looked at them and thought that I was in trouble…nothing happened, we just carried on…they did not have the power to do anything, even if they wanted to, because I came into that environment to listen, with no violence in me at all,” he said while showing pictures from the Congress-led yatra.

He added that The idea of Bharat Jodo was born out of the need to connect to people and draw attention to prejudice, unemployment and growing inequality in an increasingly stifled atmosphere, he added.

He also expressed concerns over the state of press freedom in India and said that the government is trying to control the narrative by controlling the media. "Media is being suppressed and being crushed. The narrative is being controlled by one particular ideology," Gandhi said.

Gandhi also spoke about the need for India to embrace diversity and respect different opinions. He said that the country's strength lies in its diversity and that it is important to protect it.

"India's strength lies in its diversity. We have to embrace diversity and we have to embrace different opinions. We cannot be one opinion," he said.

The NDTV article also quotes Rahul Gandhi as saying, "We have to stand up and fight the forces that are trying to divide us. We have to stand up and fight for the truth."

He also touched upon the diverse ideologies of the US and China since World War II and the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Talking about the massive shift of production to China and the decline in manufacturing in countries like India and the US, he said the issues of inequality and anger need to be addressed urgently.

Sharing that he was initially amazed by the individual freedom and openness in the United States of America, he said that the situation changed post the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Congress leader and ex-advisor to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sam Pitroda shared the YouTube link of Rahul Gandhi's address to MBA students, on Twitter.

Gandhi's speech at Cambridge University comes at a time of increasing global concern about the future of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism in many parts of the world. His message of hope and empowerment for young people resonated with the audience, and many praised his vision for a more inclusive and just society.

Rahul will also interact with representatives of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) UK chapter and address an ‘Indian Diaspora Conference’ during his week-long visit to the UK.