‘India cannot suppress its people like China’: Rahul Gandhi in Colombia

‘India cannot suppress its people like China’: Rahul Gandhi in Colombia

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that India cannot suppress its people like China and that the greatest danger facing India today is the “attack on democracy.”

Speaking at an interaction with students at EIA University in Colombia, Gandhi said that India’s diversity thrives only under a democratic framework, which he claimed is under siege.

"It (India) has a larger population than China. Instead of China's centralised system, India is decentralised and diverse. India has a very complex system. India's strengths are different from China's. India also has an ancient spiritual and ideological tradition that is very useful for today's world. India cannot suppress its people like China".

“India has many religions, traditions and languages. A democratic system provides a place for everyone. But right now, the democratic system is under attack from all sides,” he added.

Drawing parallels with American politics, Gandhi said US President Donald Trump’s polarisation campaign targeted the unemployed, reflecting the loss of manufacturing jobs. “Despite economic growth in India, we are unable to generate enough employment because we are a service-based economy and lack strong production capacity. China has shown that production can thrive in a non-democratic setup, but India must find a way to compete while preserving democracy,” he said.