'This is India, not North Korea': Rahul slams PM over Youth Congress crackdown

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday strongly criticised the police action against his partys youth wing activists over the shirtless protest drawing a sharp parallel between Prime Minister Narendra Modis government and the authoritarian regime in North KoreaThis is India not North Korea Gandhi the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a post in Hindi on X and asserted that peaceful protest is the soul of democracy and not a crimeHe said the worlds largest democracy is being slowly pushed in a direction where dissent is labelled as treason and asking questions is called a conspiracy When those in power start seeing themselves as the nation and dissent as the enemy that is when democracy dies Gandhi said In todays India under the rule of a compromised PM peaceful protest has been turned into the biggest crime The worlds largest democracy is being slowly pushed in a direction where dissent is labelled as treason and asking questions is called a conspiracy the former Congress chief saidThink about it no matter the issue if you raise your voice against those in power through constitutional means then batons lawsuits and jail are almost a certainty he saidYouth tormented by paper leaks raised their voices for their future and were met with blows from batons he claimed The countrys proud women wrestlers demanded a fair investigation into serious allegations against a powerful BJP leader Their cries were defamed their movement crushed and they were forcibly removed from the streetsA peaceful demonstration took place at India Gate in support of a rape victim The demand for justice was deemed an inconvenience to the system and dispersed Gandhi said When the Youth Congress peacefully protested against a US Trade deal harmful to the country they were branded antinational and arrested he saidWhen ordinary people stood up against poisonous air even concerns for the environment were dismissed as politics and suppressed Gandhi said adding that when farmers protested for their rights they too were labelled antinational Tear gas rubber bullets water cannons and batons these became the means of dialogue When tribals stood up for their rights to water forests and land suspicion was cast upon them too as if demanding ones rights is a crime What kind of democracy is this where a Compromised PM fears questions Where crushing dissent is becoming the nature of governance he saidAsking questions is not democracys weakness it is its strength he said Democracy grows stronger when the government listens to criticism responds and remains accountable Modi ji this is India not North Korea When those in power start seeing themselves as the nation and dissent as the enemy that is when democracy dies Gandhi saidHis remarks came after a highvoltage standoff between the police teams of Delhi and Shimla came to an end following a dramatic 24 hours on Thursday morning after the Delhi Police team was finally cleared to head back to the national capital along with the three Youth Congress activists arrested in connection with the shirtless protest at the AI SummitThe shirtless protest at Bharat Mandapam on February 20 prompted a significant security response with police earlier invoking charges including rioting and promoting enmity under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNSThe Indian Youth Congress IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib and former national spokesperson Bhudev Sharma were arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday Both were subsequently produced before a Delhi court and remanded to police custody for interrogationAccording to the Delhi Police a total of 11 people have been arrested so far On Saturday midnight Delhi Police raided Himachal Sadan in the national capital amid reports that IYC workers who had participated in the protest were provided accommodation thereThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever