Rahul Gandhi says 'biggest risk to India is attack on democracy'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (October 2) during an interaction at a university in Columbia, targeted the Narendra Modi government, saying that the “attack on democracy” is the biggest threat to India.

During an interaction at EIA University in Colombia, Rahul said that despite its potential due to its large population and cultural, linguistic and religious diversity, India still has risks to overcome, adding that the biggest of these risks is the attack on democracy.

“India has tremendous potential with its 1.4 billion people. But India has a completely different system from China. China is very centralised and uniform. India is decentralised and has multiple languages, cultures, traditions, and religions. India has a much more complex system,” said Rahul.

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‘Different traditions, religions need space’

“But at the same time, there are faultlines within the Indian structure, there are risks that India has to overcome. The single biggest risk is the attack on democracy that is taking place. India is a conversation between all its people. Different traditions, religions and ideas require space,” he added as quoted by NDTV.

Elaborating further, Rahul said that “the democratic system” is the best way to create such space, adding that currently the democratic system in India is facing a “wholesale attack”.

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‘Can’t have an authoritarian system like China’

Rahul said that the other risk facing the country was the rift between different parts of India, adding that it was crucial for India to allow multiple languages and religions to thrive and unlike China, the country cannot suppress the people with an authoritarian system. “Our design will not accept that,” said Rahul.

Rahul also said that empires rise during periods of energy transitions, arguing that the United Kingdom became a superpower when the British controlled the steam engine and coal. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said that India fought the British Empire and achieved independence in 1947.

After the British, the Americans managed the transition from coal and steam to petrol and the internal combustion engine. Now we are facing a new transition to the electric motor, from the fuel tank to the battery.

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‘Real fight between US and China’

Rahul said that the “real fight” was between the US, which has a maritime vision of the world and China, which has a terrestrial vision, was about who is going to manage the latest energy transition, adding that "the Chinese are winning so far".

The Congress leader also said India is China’s neighbour and a close partner of the US. "We are sitting right in the middle of where the forces are colliding,” said Rahul.

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On Donald Trump

Pointing out that India, being diverse and decentralised, cannot suppress its people like China, Rahul said that India has a “very complex” system.

As for the US, Rahul said President Donald Trump's polarisation campaign is mostly targeted at the unemployed.

"Despite the economic growth in India, we are unable to provide jobs because we are a service-based economy and are unable to produce. In America, most people polarised with Trump are those who have lost their jobs in the manufacturing sector,” said Rahul, reported NDTV.

“China has demonstrated production in a non-democratic environment, but we need a democratic structure. Therefore, the challenge is to develop a model of production in a democratic environment that can compete with China,” he added.