Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has intensified his criticism of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the 2024 Lok Sabha election results. Speaking at an Indian diaspora event in Herndon, Virginia, he claimed that the fear of PM Modi among the people has disappeared.
Gandhi accused the BJP and Modi of spreading fear and pressure on small businesses through various agencies, but said this fear vanished after the election. “It took them years to create this fear, but it disappeared in seconds,” he said. He added that the image of PM Modi’s strength and dominance has faded, calling it "history now."
The Congress leader, who also met students at Georgetown University, said that the BJP does not understand India’s diversity. “India is a union of different traditions, music, and dance, but the BJP claims it is not a union,” he alleged.
While the BJP has not officially responded to Gandhi’s comments, party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia criticised him harshly, calling him a “black spot” on Indian democracy. Bhatia accused Gandhi of making damaging remarks during his foreign visits, saying it weakens the country’s democracy. He also referred to an old memorandum of understanding between the Congress and the Chinese Communist Party to question Gandhi’s credibility.
Bhatia further condemned Gandhi’s views on women’s roles, as expressed in a recent event, and rejected his claims that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) holds regressive beliefs about women.
