DNA Special: Rahul Gandhi compares PM Modi to Adolf Hitler, how accurate is it?

The issue of inflation is something that should have been debated in Parliament, however, due to the standoff between the government and the opposition, this fight resulted in the Congress party holding a 'black protest' today. During this, all the Congress MPs, leaders and office-bearers took to the streets in black clothes and protested. Today the Congress party demonstrated at different places in Delhi.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and all the MPs of the Congress Party gathered in the Parliament House Complex. All these MPs protested on the issue of inflation and GST. After this, Rahul Gandhi, who reached Vijay Chowk in black clothes, and other party MPs tried to take out a march on foot and accused the government of killing democracy. 

Rahul Gandi, during the protest, also compared PM Narendra Modi to Adolf Hitler. He said that Germany's dictator Hitler also used to win elections. He had entire institutions, there was paramilitary, the whole structure was there. Rahul Gandhi compared PM Modi to Hitler but is his argument correct?

Rahul Gandhi probably did not do good homework on Hitler but let us tell you that Hitler did not become chancellor by winning the election with an absolute majority. It is known to all that Germany was defeated in the First World War, which lasted from 1914 to 1919, after which Germany had to pay a huge amount under the Treaty of Versailles. This amount was to be paid to the countries that had won the First World War such as France, Britain, and America.

To pay this amount, Germany started printing its currency on a large scale but its disadvantage was that inflation in Germany reached record levels. The dissatisfaction against the government started increasing among the people. In the year 1929, when the Great Depression came in America, that is, the beginning of the historic recession, it affected the whole world. Germany also witnessed a huge unemployment rate during this time.

Adolf Hitler's party became very popular amid this economic crisis and increasing resentment among the people as his party was raising the issue of inflation and unemployment at that time. After this, when general elections were held in Germany in 1932, Hitler's party emerged as the largest party. Although Hitler did not have a majority then. When no leader could get an absolute majority, German President Paul Von Hindenburg appointed Hitler as the country's chancellor. Shortly after this, on February 27, 1933, there was a fire incident in the Parliament of Germany.

For this incident, a Dutch Communist leader was found guilty and sentenced to death, and after this Hitler started cracking down on Communist leaders, parties, and trade unions all over Germany. After the fire incident, new emergency law was introduced, under which the police could arrest anyone. Newspapers were banned and the voice of journalists was also suppressed. When the then German President Paul von Hindenburg died on August 2, 1934, Hitler merged the two biggest constitutional positions in Germany. 

One post was that of the President and the other was that of the Chancellor. By combining these two, Hitler created a new post, which was called Führer which means Supreme Leader. As soon as Hitler became the Supreme Leader, he found a law, under which all the opposing parties were disabled. That is, the whole of Germany became a single-party state.

After this Hitler dissolved the elected assemblies of different provinces of Germany and gave all the powers to the National Parliament. After listening to the story, now do you think it is right to compare Prime Minister Modi with Hitler?

Germany was a single-party state under Hitler but now that Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of the country, there are 8 national parties, 54 regional parties, and 2,796 unrecognised political parties in India. 

Hitler dissolved the elected assemblies of all the provinces of Germany. Whereas during Prime Minister Modi's ongoing tenure, BJP has lost elections in not one but many states. Think what kind of dictatorship this is, in which BJP loses the election. If Rahul Gandhi is right, then according to this, BJP should not lose any election.

Another important point to note is that Hitler did not come to power by winning a majority. Rather, when there was no majority, the President there appointed him as Chancellor under special circumstances. Whereas Prime Minister Modi has come to power by being elected not once but twice with an absolute majority.

We are not saying here that there are no shortcomings in the democracy of India. India's democracy must have shortcomings that must be improved. However, shortcomings in a democracy do not mean dictatorship and the Congress party has to understand that.