India no longer a democracy under BJP-led regime: Rahul Gandhi at Bharat Summit

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that India was no longer a democracy under the BJP-led regime, accusing the Narendra Modi government of undermining electoral institutions, manipulating the political system and using its financial power to weaken the Opposition.

"India is actually no longer a democracy," he said, alleging that the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had rendered 140 million voters either non-existent or ineligible.

Questioning the legitimacy of elections, Gandhi asked how an electoral exercise could be considered fair if such a large number of voters were declared invalid. He claimed that the voters who participated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections had been subsequently removed from the rolls.

Gandhi alleged that India's democratic institutions began to weaken after the BJP came to power in 2014, with the Congress taking nearly a decade to understand the changes in the electoral and political system.

"What we discovered, and we have proven without any doubt, is that democracy was destroyed in India in 2014," he said.

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Citing the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Gandhi claimed that the Congress-led alliance had secured the same number of votes in two consecutive elections, but its performance changed dramatically within three months. He alleged that seven million new voters were added during the period and all of them voted for the BJP. He claimed similar irregularities had occurred in other states.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha also accused the BJP of benefiting from the growing nexus between political power and big business, specifically alleging that the line between Prime Minister Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani had disappeared.

He claimed that Adani's business interests had expanded across airports, ports, infrastructure, defence and cement, while the BJP's assets had grown 11-fold over a decade, making it financially difficult for other political parties to compete.

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Gandhi said the Opposition initially struggled to counter the BJP as institutions were being taken away and its leaders faced legal cases. However, he said the Congress had realised that direct engagement with people was more effective than relying on institutions and the media.

He cited the Bharat Jodo Yatra as an example of the party's efforts to reconnect with people, asserting that truth, non-violence and love were the most powerful weapons against the BJP.

"You can see it in the fear that the Prime Minister, Mr Amit Shah, has. This is already a done deal," he said.

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Gandhi also apologised to foreign delegates who could not attend the summit, alleging that the Union government had prevented them from participating.

More than 100 foreign invitees, including Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng, were reportedly denied visas or had their clearances revoked, while over 300 others were granted permission to attend.

Lyng, who had drawn attention during Modi's visit to Oslo in May with a question on press freedom, was scheduled to speak at a panel discussion at the summit.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had on Friday said that 115 of the 315 speakers cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs were subsequently denied entry or had their visas cancelled. He described the development as a matter of shame for a country that takes pride in being a democracy.

Responding to the controversy, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said visa decisions were sovereign functions of every country and government.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, members of his Cabinet, Congress leaders and foreign delegates attended the event.

Meanwhile, activists of the BJP's youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), staged a protest near the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, the summit venue, against Gandhi's visit.

BJYM state president Ganesh Kunde said Gandhi had no right to tour the state without fulfilling the election promises made by the Congress.