Rahul Gandhi’s fresh attack on RSS intensifies political slugfest
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the state of democracy in India and the RSS in the United Kingdom triggered a political row on Tuesday as the BJP accused him of insulting the country on foreign soil.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the state of democracy in India and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the United Kingdom triggered a political row on Tuesday as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused him of insulting the country on foreign soil.
At an interaction at Chatham House (an international think tank) in London on Monday evening, Gandhi termed the RSS, the ideological mentor of the BJP, a “fundamentalist” and “fascist” organisation, alleging it has captured all of India’s institutions.
“The nature of democratic contests in India has completely changed and the reason is that one organisation called RSS – a fundamentalist, fascist organisation – has basically captured pretty much all of India’s institutions,” the Wayanad MP said.
“The RSS is a secret society. It has been built along the lines of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their idea is to use the democratic contest to capture power and then subvert the democratic process. It shocked me how successful they have been at capturing the different institutions of our country. Press, judiciary, Parliament, and Election Commission are all under threat and are controlled in one way or the other,” he added.
Gandhi continued: “You can ask any Opposition leader as to how agencies are used. My phone had Pegasus (spyware to snoop on politicians and journalists) on it, which was not happening when we were in power.”
The Congress leader had made a similar allegation over the use of Pegasus, at a lecture at Cambridge University on March 5 – a charge dismissed by the BJP.
The BJP reacted sharply to Gandhi’s remarks, saying he is completely in the grip of “Maoist thought process through his minions” and also “anarchist elements”.
Addressing a press conference, former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Gandhi for his condemnation of the RSS, claiming that the organisation has been serving society and the nation.
He also alleged that Gandhi was “misusing the forum of British Parliament” to “insult” India by spreading “shameful” lies and unfounded claims, and said there needed to be a “proper rebuttal”.
“Rahul Gandhi has insulted everything, including India’s democracy, Parliament, people, political system, judicial system and strategic security,” Prasad said.
The BJP sought to know from Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge if he “feels” that he is an elected president of the party.
Kharge and his predecessor, Sonia Gandhi, should make their stand clear on Gandhi’s “utterly irresponsible” statements and whether the opposition party supports them or not, Prasad said.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Srinate demanded an apology from Prasad. “He (Gandhi) said that in a country where 1.4 crore people are a part of a democratic system, the fate of Indian democracy impacts the fate of democracy on the planet. This statement should be welcomed and even the Prime Minister should laud it,” Srinate said.