New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday unleashed a fierce attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, comparing it to North Korea’s authoritarian regime over police crackdown on Youth Congress activists over “shirtless protest” at the AI Summit.
“This is India, not North Korea,” the Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition declared in a Hindi post on X, stressing that “peaceful protest is the soul of democracy and not a crime.”
Gandhi warned that India’s democracy was sliding into darkness, “where dissent is labelled as treason and asking questions is called a conspiracy.” He added: “When those in power start seeing themselves as the nation and dissent as the enemy — that is when democracy dies.”
“In today’s India, under the rule of a compromised PM, peaceful protest has been turned into the biggest crime. The world’s largest democracy is being slowly pushed in a direction where dissent is labelled as treason and asking questions is called a conspiracy,” the former Congress chief said.
Citing youth “tormented by paper leaks” who “raised their voices for their future and were met with blows from batons,” Gandhi listed a litany of suppressed movements.
“The country’s proud women wrestlers demanded a fair investigation into serious allegations against a powerful BJP leader. Their cries were defamed, their movement crushed, and they were forcibly removed from the streets,” he said.
He recalled a “peaceful demonstration at India Gate in support of a rape victim,” where “the demand for justice was deemed an inconvenience to the system and dispersed.” Youth Congress protests against a “US Trade deal harmful to the country” led to activists being “branded ‘anti-national’ and arrested.”
Even environmental concerns over “poisonous air” were dismissed as “politics” and quashed, while farmers and tribals fighting for rights faced “tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, and batons.” “Suspicion was cast upon them too — as if demanding one’s rights is a crime,” Gandhi said.
“What kind of democracy is this, where a Compromised PM fears questions? Where crushing dissent is becoming the nature of governance?” he asked
“Asking questions is not democracy’s weakness, it is its strength,” he asserted, adding, “Democracy grows stronger when the government listens to criticism, responds, and remains accountable. Modi ji, this is India, not North Korea.”
The outburst followed a tense 24-hour standoff between Delhi and Shimla police which was resolved this morning with Delhi teams returning with three arrested Youth Congress activists. The February 20 “shirtless protest” at Bharat Mandapam resulted in slapping of various charges under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib and ex-spokesperson Bhudev Sharma were arrested Tuesday and remanded to custody. Delhi Police reported 11 arrests in total, including a midnight raid on Himachal Sadan housing protesters.
