Easy to defeat Modi, alternative to 'fascism' needed: Rahul Gandhi 

Underlining the alleged rise of "fascism" in India, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, in an interview with an Italian daily, said PM Narendra Modi could be defeated in the next Lok Sabha elections if other parties come together. Gandhi also spoke about the Bharat Jodo Yatra and China but refused to comment on the Russia-Ukraine war, which will complete a year on Friday (February 24).

Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Gandhi said, "Fascism is defeated by offering an alternative." He also voiced confidence in the opposition parties for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, adding if all parties work together, Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can be easily defeated. "If two visions of India confront each other in the vote, we will be able to prevail," he said.

Gandhi also mentioned his recent confrontation with BJP leaders over the Adani Group-Hindenburg row. "I haven't been able to speak for two years; as soon as I speak, they take my microphone off. The balance of powers is off. Justice is not independent. Centralism is absolute. The press is no longer free," he asserted. He also claimed that fascism had overpowered parliamentary democracy.

Gandhi further accused the BJP of encouraging religious polarization in India, noting that the communal divide is worse than in the past. He claimed that the BJP is using these gimmicks to divert attention away from the "real problems," which include poverty, illiteracy, inflation, the post-COVID-19 crisis, indebted enterprises, and landless farmers.

"Of peaceful competition. I don't think the West can be competitive with China on an industrial level, especially in low-value-added production. India can and should be. For the resilience of her people," Gandhi said when asked about India-China relations.

Replying to a query about Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said the journey was like a tapasya (spiritual prayer). "Everyone's limits, myself included, are far beyond what we think," he said. "The march is an action that generates warmth, makes you look inside yourself, makes you understand the extraordinary resilience of the Indians," he said in the interview.