In NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi of the Congress stepped up his criticism on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological forerunner of the BJP, calling it a “fundamentalist and fascist” group. He said that RSS has control over all of India’s institutions, including the media, the courts, the legislature, and the election commission.
In an interactive session on Monday at the “Chatham House think-tank in London,” Gandhi made the accusations. “RSS is a covert organization with a structure modeled after the Muslim Brotherhood. Political parties used to compete democratically in India before I entered politics in 2004. At the time, I had no idea how drastically the contest’s nature would change. The RSS, a fundamentalist, fascist organization, has taken control of everything, which is why it has changed.
In response to criticism from the BJP for his claim that the US and Europe are unaware of the erosion of democracy, he decided to take a more nuanced stance during the exchange. “Because this is an internal issue, internal solutions must be found. Nonetheless, because to the size of Indian democracy, it serves the greater good. We’ll take care of our issue. If Indian democracy fails, the effects will extend far beyond our borders. You need to be aware that the main tenant of the democratic model is under assault, and that this onslaught will have an international impact.
Regarding the party’s electoral defeats in the past few years, he remarked that a set of changes going place in India had taken the Congress off guard. He argued that it is absurd to claim that the BJP has taken power and the Congress has been ousted. “Some of the most important choices, like the demonetisation, cannot be discussed in Parliament. The Farmers Bill, the GST, or the Chinese intrusion on the frontiers could not be discussed in Parliament, he claimed.
Gandhi compared Chinese forces stationed at the frontiers of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh with Ukrainian troops in response to a query about India’s China policy.
