Berlin/New Delhi, 23: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP-led government of capturing and weaponising India’s democratic institutions to consolidate political power, reiterating allegations of electoral irregularities and misuse of central investigating agencies.
Addressing a lecture at the Hertie School in Berlin, Gandhi alleged that institutions such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were being used to target Opposition leaders and businessmen perceived to be supporting non-BJP parties. He claimed that institutions were no longer functioning independently and were being deployed as political tools.
“There is a wholesale capture of our institutional framework. There is a full-scale assault taking place on the institutional framework of our country,” Gandhi said, adding, “We’re not fighting the BJP. We’re fighting their capture of the Indian institutional structure.”
The Congress leader reiterated his allegations of irregularities in India’s electoral process, including voter list manipulation. He claimed that the Congress had won the 2024 Haryana Assembly election and asserted that the Maharashtra Assembly election was not conducted fairly.
“We fundamentally believe there is a problem with the electoral machinery in India,” Gandhi said. “We have clearly shown without a shadow of a doubt that we won the Haryana election and that we don’t feel the Maharashtra elections were fair.”
He said the party had raised its concerns with the Election Commission but had not received any response. According to Gandhi, the situation amounted to a “full-scale assault” on India’s democratic and institutional framework.
Gandhi also alleged that the BJP was effectively proposing the “elimination of the Constitution,” which he said guarantees equality between states, languages, religions and citizens. “What the BJP is proposing essentially is the elimination of the Constitution,” he said, accusing the ruling party and the RSS of undermining the core principles of equality enshrined in the Constitution.
On the role of central agencies, Gandhi alleged selective targeting by enforcement bodies. “ED and CBI have zero cases against the BJP, and most of the political cases are against the people who oppose them,” he said, claiming that businessmen supporting the Congress were threatened.
Outlining the Opposition’s strategy, Gandhi said the Congress would work towards building a “system of opposition resistance” to counter what he described as institutional capture. He stressed that the fight was not merely against the BJP as a political party, but against the alleged takeover of democratic institutions.
Commenting on the INDIA bloc, Gandhi said the alliance remained united in opposing the ideology of the BJP and the RSS, despite tactical differences among its constituents. “We are very united, and we will contest the BJP on laws that we disagree with,” he said.
Placing his remarks in a global context, Gandhi described Indian democracy as a “global public good,” arguing that any attack on it would have implications beyond India. “An attack on the Indian democratic system is also an attack on the global democratic system,” he said, noting that India’s constitutional union established in 1947 was achieved far more swiftly than Europe’s long effort to build the European Union.
Gandhi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic model, claiming it had reached a dead end. He alleged that the BJP had largely continued the economic framework of the previous Manmohan Singh-led government without further innovation.
Rahul Gandhi is currently on a visit to Germany.
