Mikes of opposition silenced; media under attack in India: Rahul Gandhi

Gandhi, who is on a trip to London, also said that the Prime Minister PM is in "denial mode" over Chinese incursions into Indian territory

The Opposition in India is being stifled, and the Parliament is no longer a place for debates on important issues, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi told British parliamentarians in the Houses of Parliament complex in London on Monday. He added that functioning microphones in the Lok Sabha are often silenced.

During an event organised by Indian-origin Opposition Labour Party member of Parliament Virendra Sharma in the Grand Committee Room within the House of Commons, Gandhi also shared experiences from the "Bharat Jodo Yatra", which he described as a "deeply political exercise in mass mobilisation".

"Our mikes are not out of order, they are functioning, but you still can't switch them on. That's happened to me a number of times while I am speaking," Gandhi said in response to a question about sharing his experience of being a politician in India with his counterparts in Britain.

"Demonetisation, which was a disastrous financial decision, we were not allowed to discuss. The GST we were not allowed to discuss. Chinese troops entering Indian territory we were not allowed to discuss. I remember a Parliament where there were vibrant discussions, heated debates, arguments, disagreements but we had a conversation. And, that's frankly what we miss in Parliament. We have to use debates to fit in other debates. There is a stifling that is going on," he added.

Gandhi took questions from the group of MPs and peers from the House of Lords to also highlight the importance of India-UK relations to create greater employment opportunities and also to protect Indian democracy.

"Democracy in India is a global public good. India is big enough, where if democracy is weakened in India, it is weakened on the planet. India's democracy is three times the size of the US and Europe and if this democracy crumbles, it will be a huge setback for democracy on the planet," he said.

'Media under attack'

At another event organised by the Indian Journalists' Association (IJA) on Monday, Gandhi said that important structures of democracy are under "brutal attack" in India. He also said that the action against the news agency BBC was an example of "suppression of voice across the country".

"The media, the institutional frameworks, judiciary, Parliament is all under attack and we were finding it very difficult to put the voice of the people through the normal channels," Gandhi said.

"The BBC has found out about it now, but it has been going on in India for the last nine years non-stop. Everybody knows that journalists are intimidated, they are attacked and threatened. The journalists who toe the line of the government are rewarded. So, it's part of a pattern and I wouldn't expect anything different. If the BBC stops writing against the government, everything will go back to normal. All the cases will disappear," he added.

'Denial mode' on Chinese incursions

At the IJA event, Gandhi added that the Prime Minister (PM) is in "denial mode" over Chinese incursions into Indian territory.

"We do not accept anybody entering our territory and bullying us. The Chinese have entered our territory and killed our soldiers but the PM is in denial. That's the problem," he said.

Claiming that 2,000 sq km of Indian territory is being controlled by China's PLA, Gandhi said the PM himself has stated that not a single inch of Indian land has been taken and "this has destroyed our position to negotiate with Beijing".

BJP's counter-attack

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Gandhi of maligning India on foreign soil while praising China.

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Monday hit out at Gandhi for his remarks and asked the Congress leader not to betray the nation.

"Don't betray India, Rahul Gandhi ji. The objections to India's foreign policy is an evidence of your scant understanding of the issue. No one will believe the lies you spread about India from foreign soil," Thakur told reporters in New Delhi.

Thakur said Gandhi had resorted to "maligning India" from foreign soil as part of a conspiracy to hide his failures.

"Rahul Gandhi has become a storm of controversies. Be it foreign agencies, foreign channels or be it foreign soil. He does not lose a single opportunity to malign India," Thakur said.

(With agency inputs)