Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s controversial remarks on India’s democratic deficit, during his visit to the UK, may end up providing campaign fodder for the BJP ahead of the assembly elections. The moment Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to respond to Gandhi’s allegations, it was clear that the BJP would spin the issue to its advantage.
Gandhi’s error was to seek international endorsement for his stance – indeed, to invite external intervention by emphasising that democracy in India was a global issue. Given that the BJP’s brand of assertive nationalism has great traction among voters, the Congress leader’s motive in putting Indian democracy on trial in the court of global opinion is unclear.
The ill-advised needling of the west, for failing to react to the alleged crisis of democracy in India because of “trade and money and stuff like that”, can be easily projected as undermining her sovereignty. Nor is it difficult for the BJP to make the case that Gandhi’s rant could hurt the country’s interests. At a time when the government is going all-out to boost manufacturing and exports, and take advantage of the post-Covid push towards diversification of global supply chains, no party can afford to be seen as discouraging the west from doing business with India.
The Congress must remember that Karnataka, which goes to polls in May 2023, attracts significant FDI inflows. With the state government facing severe anti-incumbency, the Congress has a healthy chance of a majority, provided it avoids shooting itself in the foot by giving the BJP ammunition that might eclipse local issues. But once the Congress’ de facto leader had made his provocative remarks, party president Mallikarjun Kharge was compelled to back him up.
The Congress knows only too well that direct attacks on PM Modi are at best ineffectual and at worst counter-productive, but it can’t seem to help itself. The grand old party’s recent attempt to target Modi on the Adani issue flopped, and the less said about its ‘chowkidar chor hai’ campaign in 2019, the better. While desperately seeking to structure an Opposition coalition to take on the NDA in 2024, it cannot afford missteps of this kind.
The trouble is that Gandhi seems wedded to his version of India as a country living in fear and want under a tyrannical dispensation. He avers a “non-democratic” state, censorship, a tame judiciary, a silenced Opposition and a virtual suspension of civil liberties. In other words, a repeat of the Emergency imposed by his grandmother, Indira Gandhi.
Unfortunately for the Congress, voters seem to buy into Modi’s idea of India as a self-confident and aspirational nation on the cusp of becoming a global power. In contrast to Gandhi’s ‘India noir’, Modi’s Bharat is a place of light, a country that has entered a golden age (Amrit Kaal) of robust and equitable economic growth. An India set to emerge as a knowledge economy, while keeping sustainability, social harmony and equity as central pillars of development.
Inclining towards Gandhi’s version invites accusations of being ‘an agent of George Soros’. Buying into the Modi paradigm risks being labelled a ‘BJP stooge’. The truth is subjective. Some have indeed suffered the excesses of the right-wing loony fringe or been at the receiving end of hyperactive regulators, but many more have benefited from the financial inclusion and welfare schemes launched by the Modi government.
Ironically, had the Congress been in government, it may well have rolled out initiatives such as the Goods and Services Tax, the India Stack, the National Semiconductor Mission, Gati Shakti and so forth. Being in the Opposition, it has no option but to raise vociferous objections.
The Congress could contribute to the development story, by pointing out flawed policies and bureaucratic bottlenecks, gaps in implementation and missed targets. Instead of leveraging these shortcomings, Gandhi is not engaging at all on development-related issues. His opposition is ideological and his ideas too abstract to make an impact on voters. After all, it is hard to convince first-time account holders with cash in the bank that their freedoms are under threat.
Every majority government tends towards some degree of authoritarianism, and citizens will react when their freedoms are impacted. That inflection point has not been reached. The result is that Gandhi’s allegations of a compromised judiciary and muzzled press are easily dismissed. After all, the Congress rails against the BJP in and outside Parliament on a daily basis, so it’s not as if its right to free speech has been curtailed. Nor did Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra face any impediments.
If Gandhi truly believes democracy is endangered, his party must be in a position to fight for it. His immediate priority therefore should be to strengthen the Congress, which means focusing on winning elections at home rather than whipping up support overseas.
Bhavdeep Kang is a senior journalist with 35 years of experience in working with major newspapers and magazines. She is now an independent writer and author
