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Rahul Gandhi's Germany speech stirs row, BJP takes 'still a child' jibe
Rahul Gandhi also reiterated his "vote theft" allegations on the BJP-led government of India, pointing out the duplicate voters in the voter list.
Rahul Gandhi, speaking at an event on Monday during his controversial Germany visit, said there is a “full-scale assault taking place on the institutional framework of our country”, triggering a sharp reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a lecture in Berlin, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reiterated his "vote theft" allegations on the BJP-led government of India, pointing out the duplicate voters in the voter list.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Congress won the Haryana assembly elections in 2024 and the Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 “were not fair.”
The reason BJP is attacking the polling system is that they fundamentally don't believe that every Indian is equal. In their mind there is no way a Dalit person is the same as an upper caste person, Rahul Gandhi said.
Lok Sabha LoP shared that their party did not receive a "response" from the Election Commission when they flagged the issue.
‘Full-scale assault on institutional framework’
Rahul Gandhi, addressing the Hertie School on "Politics Is The Art Of Listening", alleged that the Centre has "weaponised" investigating agencies. He said, “There is a wholesale capture of our institutional framework.”
"Our intelligence agencies, ED and CBI, have been weaponised. ED and CBI have zero cases against the BJP, and most of the political cases are against the people who oppose them. If you are a businessman and try to support the Congress, you are threatened. BJP uses the institutional framework of India as a tool to build political power. Look at the money the BJP has and the Opposition has," Rahul Gandhi said in Germany, during a visit which has been questioned by the leaders of the ruling party.
Rahul Gandhi said, “We have won elections in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh. We have been raising issues as far as the fairness of elections in India is concerned. I have done press conferences in India where 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.
There is a full-scale assault taking place on the institutional framework of our country. Rahul Gandhi sad, adding that Opposition asked direct questions to the Election Commission.
Gandhi said a number of people in India support PM Modi, adding that a lot of do not agree with his ideology and the vision of India that he has.
"We think the vision will fail and it has tremendous problems. It will create massive tensions in India and make Indian people fight with each other. We will fight it. It is a clash between 2 visions in India," Rahul Gandhi said.
‘Still a child’: BJP reacts sharply
On Rahul Gandhi's statement, Union Minister of State and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje said the Congress MP is not the Leader of Opposition but an anti-India leader who goes abroad and speaks against the nation.
"What does he aim to gain by doing this? He still behaves like a child, not a leader," Karandlaje said.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari asked, “Can a man who loves Bharat want India to fail?”
Taking to X, Bhandari wrote: "Rahul Gandhi in Germany says he thinks:
- People will fight each other
-India will fail
- Unrest will happen
From Fighting Indian state, to threatening Anarchy..… Rahul Gandhi's Congress with his ideological patron George Soros wants Chaos, Unrest in Indian Democracy...… Rahul goes abroad for uniting such Anti India forces...…"
“Congress hates Indian Democracy.… Congress hates Bharat's progress..Rahul Gandhi's Congress wants Anarchy!” Bhandari wrote in his X post.
Rahul Gandhi is on a five-day visit to Germany.
Rahul Gandhi also said in Berlin that there are millions of people in India who have a completely different vision of the country than the government of India and RSS.
"This has existed throughout history... Are you going to be ruled by the whims of one person or by a conversation... There are people who feel that India is too complex and diverse, speaks multiple languages and has too many ideas for one person to decide its future. India should be a conversation between our states..." Rahul Gandhi said.
