Rahul Gandhi to Italian newspaper: “Fascism already there...Parliament no longer working”

In a rare interview with any foreign publication, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that India has already drifted into fascism.

Speaking to the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera on India’s decedence into fascism, the Wayanad MP said, “Fascism is already there. Democratic structures collapse. Parliament is no longer working. I haven't been able to speak for two years; as soon as I speak they take my microphone off. The balance of powers is off. Justice is not independent. Centralism is absolute. The press is no longer free.” 

Asked if PM Modi could be defeated in the next Lok Sabha election, the Congress leader opined that Bharatiya Janata Party would 100 per cent be defeated if the other parties came together.

“… it’s sure he (PM Modi) can be beaten. Provided you oppose a vision: not linked to the right or the left, but to peace and union. Fascism is defeated by offering an alternative. If two visions of India confront each other in the vote, we will be able to prevail,”said Rahul.

Answering a question about division between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi acknowledged the fact but asserted that the situations were not as dire as portrayed by the media. 

Sharing his experience about Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul told the Corriere della Sera that the journey was more like a ‘Tapasya’ (sacrifice).

“In Sanskrit, the oldest language in the world, there is a word, Tapasya , which is difficult for a Western mind to understand. Someone translates it with ‘sacrifice’, ‘patience’, but the meaning is different: to generate heat. The march is an action that generates warmth, makes you look inside yourself, makes you understand the extraordinary resilience of the Indians,” he said.