Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, sharply criticized the Modi government, alleging that India’s democratic system, which safeguards its diverse religions, traditions, and languages, is currently “under assault from all sides.”
Addressing students at EIA University in Colombia, Rahul Gandhi noted that India is home to multiple religions, traditions, and languages, and warned that its democratic framework is currently facing threats on all fronts.
“India has many religions, traditions, and languages. A democratic system provides a place for everyone. But right now, the democratic system is under attack from all sides,” NDTV quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying.
Rahul Gandhi told engineering students that great powers rise during major energy transitions, noting how Britain dominated the coal and steam era and the US took the lead with petrol and the internal combustion engine. He said India is now witnessing a similar shift from fuel tanks to electric batteries, with the United States and China competing to control this transformation and China currently having the edge.
“The British controlled the steam engine and coal. They became a superpower. We in India fought that empire and eventually got freedom 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. The real fight between the US, which has a maritime vision of the world, and China, which has a terrestial vision, is about who is going to manage this transition,” NDTV quoted Gandhi as saying.
Rahul Gandhi stated that India possesses a long-standing spiritual and ideological heritage that remains relevant today, and emphasized that, unlike China, India cannot oppress its citizens.
Rahul Gandhi observed that despite India’s economic growth, the country struggles to generate sufficient jobs due to its service-oriented economy and limited manufacturing capacity. He added that while China has succeeded in production under an authoritarian system, India must find a way to build a competitive manufacturing model within a democratic framework.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, “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. 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.”