Rahul Gandhi: BJP controls institutions, elections not fair

Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has said he can vouch for DMK that it will stand with the opposition to defend the “idea of India”, in a rare remark about the ally that Congress junked in Tamil Nadu after the recent state elections. He briefly referred to DMK at the INDIA bloc meeting Monday when he accused BJP of orchestrating a campaign to paint the opposition as divided. Congress released a part of Rahul’s speech at the meet Friday. He also told allies that the post-Iran situation will be “uncontrollable”, and “it is going to create a space for us to mobilise the masses”. He said BJP can’t win the next polls, “which is already won”, because people are angry, but the hurdle is that elections will not be free and fair. Alleging BJP steals elections, Rahul said he had warned “friends in TMC”, who were confident that they were sweeping Bengal polls, that they were in “dreamland” — stating he had seen it in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Maharashtra. He questioned SP, TMC , and RJD for believing the system is still fair and underlined there is no level playing field anymore because “BJP controls institutions of the state — legal system, bureaucracy, intelligence agencies, and EC”. He alleged BJP and RSS are tightening their grip on the State, and no instrument will work in the future. Rahul referred to Congress as a “resistance movement” which predates modern India and was not built using the protection of the Indian state like other political parties. He said, “If political parties cannot function, what functions? Resistance functions. Resistance works. Wherever we resist, it works.”

LoP slams PM’s ‘silence’ on US ship attacks

Rahul Gandhi slammed PM Modi’s silence over the US attacks on ships that have killed three Indians. He said the PM is “compromised” who does not have the courage to displease the forces that killed “sons of Mother India”. “When any foreign power murders an Indian, PM has to speak up. But there is no way this PM will utter a word,” he said. “Next week at the G7 summit...Modi will smile, embrace, and sign agreements — but for those three Indians, he won’t have a word to spare,” he added, referring to the likely meeting PM will have with US President Donald Trump.