Rahul Gandhi attends conference in London, says democracy in India is 'global public good'
Highlights
- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is currently visiting London.
- During a conference there, he said that democracy in India is a global public good.
- He attacked the “deep state” that is causing damage and declared that the Congress can fight it.
During his London visit, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that democracy in India is a global public good and the people of the country have managed democracy at an unparalleled scale.
Rahul Gandhi made the remarks at the 'Ideas for India' conference in London. "Democracy in India is a global public good. We're the only people who have managed democracy at our unparalleled scale. Had an enriching exchange on a wide range of topics at the #IdeasForIndia conference in London," Gandhi said in a tweet.
He attacked the “deep state” that is causing damage and declared that the Congress ideology is geared up to fight it. “Please realise, what the BJP does is shout and stifle voices. What we do is listen. They are two different things, they are two different designs,” said Gandhi.
Joined at the conference by Opposition leaders, including CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and TMC's Mahua Moitra, the Congress leader warned of “kerosene all over the country and all it needs is one spark”.
“A cadre is told you will say this and nothing else… it’s designed to push a particular set of ideas down people’s throats, whether it is the Communist idea or in the RSS system. We are not designed like that. We are designed to listen to the people of India and pull out their voice and place it on the table,” he said.
“Democracy in India is a global public good. It is a central anchor for the planet. Because we are the only people who have managed democracy at the scale that we have. If that cracks, it is going to cause a problem for the planet," he said.
“We believe India is a negotiation between its people; The BJP & the RSS believe India is a geography; That it is a 'Sone Ki Chidiya' whose benefits should be distributed to a few. We believe everyone should have equal access," the Congress Party quoted Gandhi as saying. Asked about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Gandhi drew parallels with the Chinese actions in India.
“Russians say to Ukraine that we refuse to recognise your territorial integrity. We refuse to accept that these two districts belong to Ukraine. And we are going to attack you in these two districts to make sure that you break an alliance with NATO,” Gandhi said. That is what Russian President Vladimir Putin is doing, he said.
“Putin is saying I am not ready for you to have an alliance with America. So on the question of your territorial integrity, I will attack you,” he said.
The Congress leader will be speaking at Cambridge University on May 23 on 'India at 75'. "Mr @RahulGandhi will be speaking in Cambridge on Monday 23 May. He'll be in conversation with Dr Shruti Kapila @shrutikapila on India at 75," Cambridge University said in a tweet.
This is the first such overseas event for the Congress leader after the return of normalcy in international travel which had been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rahul Gandhi's visit abroad has taken place at a time when the Congress is battling dissensions with a senior leader in Gujarat and Punjab having left the party.
(Inputs from PTI,ANI)
