Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on his Colombia trip, congratulated Indian businesses for their success abroad while taking a dig at Indian cronyism. Posting a photograph of him in front of a Bajaj Pulsar bike he wrote on social media platform X, " Proud to see Bajaj, Hero & TVS do so well in Colombia. Shows Indian companies can win with innovation, not cronyism. Great job”. This post of Rahul Gandhi was a pointed critique of the political patronage that he claims benefits only a select few corporations in India.
Speaking at a seminar at EIA University in Medellin, Gandhi spoke out more at length on the problems faced by Indian democracy and the economy. “Three or four businesses taking over the whole economy, having a direct relationship with the Prime Minister, is rampant in India”, he stated, making charges of "huge amounts of corruption at a centralised level and predicting that such activities are likely to endanger India's economic as well as democratic structures, New Indian Express reported.
Rahul Gandhi warns of democratic erosion in India
The New Indian Express reported Rahul Gandhi went on to differentiate India's democratic system from China's authoritarian system, stressing the necessity of space for multiple voices in India. "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,” he added.
Apart from his criticism, Gandhi also addressed India's cultural and philosophical strengths, highlighting the universal applicability of the country's thoughts. His statements, though, invited a stinging critique from the BJP, with senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accusing him of insulting India abroad.
