Fear of BJP and Modi fading in India after 2024 election results, Rahul Gandhi says in US

During an address on his visit to the United States, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that people in India are no longer intimidated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to members of the Indian diaspora in Texas, Gandhi mentioned that the fear of Modi and the BJP disappeared following the results of the general elections.

Although the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retained control of the government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Modi's BJP did not secure a clear majority on its own. Rahul pointed out that within moments of the election results being announced, the public's fear of the ruling party and the prime minister dissolved.

He said, “These are huge achievements, not of the people of India but of the people of India who realised we are not going to accept attacks on the Constitution, religion, or states.”

In his address, Rahul also criticised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), continuing a theme from his previous international appearances. He accused the RSS of promoting a narrow and outdated vision of India, contrasting it with the Congress party's belief in diversity and liberal values. According to Rahul, the RSS seeks to limit women to traditional domestic roles, while Congress champions the right of women to pursue their ambitions.

“The first thing is to think of women the same way you think of men. This is part of the ideological fight with the BJP and the RSS. The BJP and RSS believe that women should restrict their roles, stay at home, cook food, not talk much, and we believe women should aspire to be whatever they want,” Rahul said.

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He further expressed concern over the influence of the RSS in India's educational institutions, claiming that many university vice-chancellors are aligned with the organisation. He argued that this leads to an "ideological capture" of Indian academia, which he sees as harmful due to the narrow view of history and society promoted by the RSS.

This is not the first time Rahul has spoken against the RSS on foreign soil. During a visit to the UK last year, he compared the RSS to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group from the Middle East, calling it a secretive organisation with a hidden agenda. He stated, “You can call it a secret society. It’s built along the lines of the Muslim Brotherhood and the idea is to use the democratic contest to come to power and then subvert the democratic contest afterwards.”

“It’s shocked me at how successful they’ve been at capturing the different institutions of our country: the press, judiciary, Parliament, Election Commission – all the institutions are under pressure, under threat and controlled in one way or another,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)