'Modi destroying democracy': Rahul slams PM over Delhi protest crackdown

Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of silencing dissent, alleging that the internet was shut down in Delhi and students were beaten up during protests in the national capital.

“They are silencing voices as you saw in Delhi. The entire city was shutdown, internet was shutdown. Police was beating students. BJP released their own 'goodas' who were beating and thrashing students,” Rahul said while addressing students at the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Chennai.

Slamming the Prime Minister over the alleged police action on student protesters Rahul said, "Modi is destroying India's democracy".

The Congress leader's remarks came as protests rocked Delhi over demands for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protesters were prevented from reaching Jantar Mantar, the designated venue, amid heavy security deployment, with groups attempting to assemble at different locations across the city.

Delhi Police had deployed around 25,000 personnel, including police and paramilitary forces, ahead of the demonstration. Restrictions were also imposed at several metro stations, while protesters were detained as they attempted to regroup and raise slogans.

Rahul, meanwhile, linked the importance of dissent and questioning to the role of students in a democracy, arguing that curiosity was essential for progress and innovation. “We said that curiosity comes from your culture, your history, and your land. It is the basis with which you ask questions. Curiosity is also the foundation of your progress. Anything that you ever do, any business that has built, any country that has built, any innovation, any art, dance or music. Anything that you do well will always begin as a question that you ask. So, questioning is the foundation of curiosity, questioning is also the foundation of progress,” he said.

He further said that curiosity gave students the ability to question authority, imagine the future and make choices. Rahul also argued that the Constitution protected citizens' right to question those in power, while voting provided them a means to seek answers. The Chennai event was part of the Congress's nationwide 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' campaign, which seeks to engage students on issues including examination irregularities, paper leaks, rising education costs, recruitment and unemployment.