Sonia Gandhi Says Congress Faces an Unfair Battlefield Under BJP Rule
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In an interview with The Hindu, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said the party is fighting on an unequal field and warned that the BJP’s long grip on power has seriously damaged India’s democratic institutions.
Sonia Gandhi told The Hindu that the Indian electorate is growing increasingly restless and that the BJP government has inflicted "great damage" on the country’s democratic institutions over the past twelve years. She said the Congress and other opposition parties have not been given a level playing field, pointing to what she described as the ruling party’s hold over the Election Commission, mainstream media, financial resources and religious narratives. Gandhi added that, despite these deeply uneven conditions, the Congress is "making progress" and that its prospects are improving day by day.
When asked whether politics could shift back to policy debates if the BJP were defeated in the 2029 Lok Sabha election, Gandhi expressed hope, saying that people would welcome a return to "proper governance." She also referred to the Emergency of 1975, noting that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi later expressed regret for its excesses and that the decision to lift the Emergency was ultimately made through democratic means.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal responded by invoking the 1975 Emergency, arguing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strengthened democracy and that India is "the mother of democracy." Union Textile Minister Giriraj Singh also pointed out that the Congress has not governed any of nine states for four decades and linked the party to the Emergency period.
The Congress has been contesting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging irregularities and claiming that several elections have been "stolen." The party continues to seek cooperation with like-minded opposition groups ahead of future elections.