Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, sparked a major political row on Tuesday by launching a scathing critique of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from the German capital, Berlin. Addressing an audience at the Hertie School, the senior Congress leader levelled serious allegations, including "vote theft" and a "wholesale capture" of India's institutional framework by the BJP-led central government.
Allegations of Electoral Malpractice and Institutional Weaponisation
Rahul Gandhi reiterated his party's longstanding concerns about the fairness of elections in India. He claimed that the Congress had actually won the 2014 Haryana assembly elections and questioned the integrity of the recent 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls. "We have been raising issues as far as the fairness of elections in India is concerned," he stated, citing an example of a Brazilian woman allegedly being listed 22 times on a Haryana voting roll.
He further escalated his attack by accusing the government of turning investigative agencies into political tools. "There is a wholesale capture of our institutional framework. Our intelligence agencies, ED and CBI, have been weaponised," Gandhi alleged. He claimed these agencies have zero cases against the BJP but target its political opponents, creating an atmosphere where businessmen are threatened for supporting opposition parties.
Critique on Economic Policy and China's Dominance
Moving beyond domestic politics, the Congress leader presented a geopolitical and economic analysis. He argued that both the West and India had "handed over production to the Chinese," leading to a crisis of employment. "Countries like India, the US and Germany cannot give their employment based on services," he said, highlighting the need for democratic nations to rethink production models and forge new partnerships.
Gandhi linked this economic shift to global political turbulence, including polarisation. He noted that India benefited from US hegemony from the 1990s until about 2014 but is now navigating a world where American power is being challenged militarily, economically, and financially.
BJP's Furious Counter-Attack and 'Anti-India' Label
The BJP reacted swiftly and sharply to Gandhi's overseas remarks. BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused Gandhi of seeking "chaos and unrest in Indian Democracy" and of uniting with "anti-India forces" abroad. In a post on X, Bhandari wrote, "Rahul Gandhi's Congress... wants Anarchy!"
Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje went a step further, calling Gandhi "an anti-India leader who goes abroad and speaks against the nation." She questioned his motives and dismissed his behaviour as childish, contrasting it with a lack of discussion on development in Congress-ruled Karnataka.
The Core Constitutional Charge
In one of his most severe indictments, Rahul Gandhi told students at the Hertie School that "what the BJP is proposing essentially is the elimination of the Constitution." He framed this as an elimination of the ideas of equality between states, languages, religions, and the fundamental principle that every individual holds the same value.
Concluding his address, Gandhi framed the struggle as one for the soul of global democracy. "Indian democracy is a global public good; it is not just an Indian asset, it is a global asset," he asserted, implying that the BJP's actions have consequences beyond India's borders.
