India’s greatest threat is assault on democracy: Rahul Gandhi in Colombia

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi painted a stark picture of India’s present, calling the “wholesale attack on democracy” the nation’s gravest threat, while reminding that the soul of India lies in nurturing its myriad traditions — unlike China, which endures under the weight of authoritarian rule.

Addressing a seminar titled “The Future is Today” at EIA University in Medellín, Colombia, Gandhi alleged that India is being hollowed out by “vast currents of centralised corruption”, casting a shadow over the nation’s governance and democratic spirit.

"In India, we have huge amounts of corruption now at a very centralised level. So, three or four businesses taking over the whole economy, having a direct relationship with the prime minister, is rampant in India," the leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

"But I believe decentralising power, making things more transparent, bringing people into conversations, and bringing people into processes is the best way forward," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the seminar on Wednesday.

Speaking at the seminar, Rahul Gandhi reflected that India’s system is far more intricate than China’s, its true strength flowing not from uniformity but from the rich tapestry of diverse traditions that set it apart from its neighbour.

He noted that India carries within it an ancient spiritual tradition and a reservoir of timeless wisdom, offering profound ideas still deeply relevant to the modern world, and added that the nation has much to share through its rich heritage and distinctive way of thought.

"I am very optimistic about India, but at the same time, there are fault lines within the Indian structure. There are risks that India has to overcome. The single-biggest risk is the attack on democracy that is taking place in India," the leader of Opposition said.

"India has multiple religions, traditions and languages. India is actually a conversation between all its people. Different ideas, religions and traditions require space. The best method for creating that space is the democratic system," he said.

"Currently, there is a wholesale attack on the democratic system in India, so that is a risk. The other big risk is different conceptions -- some 16-17 different languages, different religions... So, allowing these different traditions to thrive, and giving them space to express themselves is very important for a country like India. We cannot do what China does, which is to suppress people and run an authoritarian system," Rahul Gandhi said.

"Our design will just not accept that," he added.

Reflecting on the Modi government’s 2016 demonetisation drive, Rahul Gandhi remarked that it was launched with the lofty promise of eradicating cash, yet the grand experiment faltered and failed to achieve its intended purpose.

"As a policy, it was a big failure. The forcible conversion of an informal economy into a formal economy is problematic whereas the gradual conversion of the informal economy is the way to go. There is a reason the informal economy exists. If you use harsh tools to destroy it, you hurt people. I know there is a corruption element to the informal economy, but there is also non-corruption element," he said.

The government brought two policies -- demonetisation, which essentially destroyed small and medium businesses and allowed very large monopolies to control a big section of our economy; and second, GST, which was again designed to harm medium and small businesses, Gandhi said.

"We believe that supporting these small businesses is the way forward for entrepreneurship, and that's the difference between us and those in power who believe that a few big monopolists (control the economy). We don't agree with that," the former Congress chief said.

Gandhi also said India doesn't see itself as taking leadership in the world.

"That is not our model. We are a large country, and we believe in having a partnership. We are not arrogant enough to believe that we should lead the world.

"Every country has its own perspective and I think there is a lot of scope for working together and having partnerships. The idea that India is going to lead the world -- I don't think that is how India views itself; maybe the Chinese think differently on this," he said.

"We understand that we are a big country, a large country and we have a weight, we have a responsibility and we should behave in a particular way. And of course, we want prosperity for our people," Gandhi said.

During his visit to the Latin American country, Gandhi also met Colombian president Senate Lidio Gracia.

The Congress leader is on a four-nation tour of South America.

Speaking at the university, Gandhi said in a country like India, simply privatising healthcare and education doesn't work.

"We have tried it, but it didn't work. At least my party and I believe in solid government involvement in these sectors. Our top universities are public sector universities. While many states in India have not done well in primary education, higher education has been a big success," he said.

Rahul Gandhi also said the British controlled the steam engine and coal and they became a superpower and "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 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 terrestrial vision, is about who is going to manage this transition," Gandhi said, adding that "the Chinese are winning that battle so far".

Talking about the US, the Congress leader said, "Most of the people, for example, who are creating polarisation in the US with Mr (Donald) Trump are those who lost their jobs because of manufacturing.

"China has demonstrated to the world how you can manage production in a non-democratic setup, but we cannot do that; we are a democratic setup.

"The challenge is whether we can develop manufacturing like China but within a democratic setup."

Rahul Gandhi observed that the Chinese wield overwhelming influence over production statistics, while in the Western world and in India, their imprint is equally commanding in the realm of consumption, shaping global patterns with quiet yet profound authority.

"A lot of people say that AI will revolutionise things, but the power will be in the hands of those who control data. In our part of the world, it’s America that controls data through its big tech companies like Google and WhatsApp," he said.

With PTI inputs