"Wholesale capture of institutions in India": Rahul on Congress losing elections

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the reason for Congress not winning elections was "wholesale capture of the country's institutional framework" and "an absolute financial and media dominance by the BJP."

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the BJP and RSS of a hegemonistic approach in running the country, saying that in the present time, RSS has become virtually the ''only institute'' in India and it has penetrated every other institution.

"There is a wholesale capture of the institutional framework of this country. There is absolute financial and media dominance that BJP has," Gandhi said during a video interaction with Ambassador Nicholas Burns from the Harvard Kennedy School of US.

He also added that it is not just the Congress party but other parties like BSP, SP, NCP too are not winning elections. "We are no longer in the same paradigm that we were in before 2014. We're in a paradigm where institutions that are supposed to protect us, institutions that are supposed to support a fair political fight, do not do so anymore," Rahul said.

He further added, "To fight elections, I need institutional structures, I need a judicial system that protects me, I need media that is reasonably free, I need financial parity, I need a whole set of structures that actually allow me to operate a political party. I don't have them."

While mentioning about the recent incident of Assam Assembly Elections where EVMs were being found in the car of a BJP candidate, Rahul said, "In Assam, the gentleman who runs our campaign has been sending videos of BJP candidates running around voting machines in their cars. But there is nothing going on in national media."

On the matter of Chinese incursions into the Indian land, the Congress leader alleged that it is because China sees a "weakened India" which is internally divided.

He also said, "I am absolutely convinced that a strong India with a clear strategy will have no problem to counter Chinese aggression."

Rahul also spoke about the three contentious farm laws, attacking the Central Government for not having any consultation with the stakeholders before implementing these laws. He added that Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh even wrote multiple letters asking the Centre to not pass the laws which have led to the stir.

"When we were in the government, we had constant feedback. It amazes me how quickly we got feedback, whether from farmers, businessmen. That feedback loop is shut now. So farmers have no other way," Rahul said about the ongoing farmers agitation.

He attacked the Government saying, "This is all about how you run the country. All this comes from a belief that centralised power understands everything. The issue of lockdown was not discussed in the Cabinet."

Replying to a question where he was being asked which policies he would prioritize if he becomes the Prime Minister, Rahul said, "I would move from just a growth-centric idea to a job-centric idea. I would say, we need growth but we are going to do everything to push production and job creation and value addition."

"I am not interested in 9 per cent economic growth if I don't see job numbers right next to it," he asserted.