Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said the people lost their fear of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP after the party failed to get a majority on its own in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

"The other thing that happened was that the fear of the BJP vanished," Gandhi said during an interaction with members of the Indian community in Dallas, Texas. "We saw that immediately, within minutes of the election result, nobody in India was scared of the BJP or the Prime Minister of India."

Gandhi said that the outcome of the election was not a victory for himself or the Congress party, but a reflection of the will of the Indian people.

According to the Congress leader, the people of India stood up to the government’s perceived efforts to undermine the Constitution and democratic values. "We are not going to accept an attack on our religion, on our state," he asserted.

'RSS BELIEVES INDIA IS ONE IDEA'

Gandhi also underscored the ideological differences between the BJP’s parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and his party. "The RSS believes that India is one idea, and we believe that India is a multiplicity of ideas," Gandhi said.

He explained that his vision of India includes participation from people of all backgrounds—regardless of caste, religion, language, or tradition.

"This is the fight, and the fight was crystallized in the election when millions of people in India clearly understood that the Prime Minister of India was attacking the Constitution of India," he stated.

The Rae Bareli MP claimed that his message, centered on the protection of India’s Constitution, resonated with the public during the election campaign. "What people understood in the election clearly, and I saw it happening, was that when I raised the Constitution, people understood what I was saying," he said.

"Most importantly, what they understood was that anybody who is attacking the Constitution of India is also attacking our religious tradition," he added.

In his address, Gandhi said his role was to inject values of love, respect and humility into Indian politics. "I think what is missing in our political systems and across parties is love, respect and humility," he said.

"Respect to everybody who is trying to build an India, not just the most powerful, but the weakest and humility, not in others, but in oneself. I think that is how I see my own," he added.

Gandhi’s visit to the US is part of a broader outreach effort, including interaction with students at the University of Texas and US lawmakers. His three-day trip comes ahead of the key US presidential election in November and assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.

Source: India Today