Indian democracy 'global public good', its fall to impact world: Rahul Gandhi

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New Delhi, June 2

Asserting that the Indian democracy is a “global public good”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said its “collapse” will have an impact on the world and is not in America’s national interest.

Rahul, who is in the US on a three-city tour, made the remarks in response to a series of questions during an interaction with media at the National Press Club in Washington DC. “Indian democracy is a global public good. Because India is large enough, a collapse in democracy will have an impact on the world. So, it is for you to think how much you value the Indian democracy. But for us, it’s an internal matter, and it’s a fight that we are committed to fighting,” he said.

He said the Opposition was “pretty well united” and asserted there was an “undercurrent building that would surprise the people in the General Election next year”.

Citing the outcome of the Karnataka Assembly elections, where the Congress secured a comfortable victory and dislodged the BJP from power, Rahul said, “Watch for the next three or four state elections… these will be a better indicator of what’s going to happen in the 2024 General Election.”

Assembly election in five states Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram are slated to take place later this year.

Rahul also answered a range of questions, including press and religious freedom in India, the issues faced by the minorities and the state of economy. When asked what his party would do to protect the rights of minorities if it came to power, Rahul said, “India already has a robust system in place, but it has been weakened…You have to have an independent set of institutions that are not pressured and controlled. If the Congress came to power, the independence of institutions will quickly be restored.”