New Delhi, Aug 5 (UNI) Ahead of its scheduled massive nation-wide protests, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed the Modi government saying there was "no democracy" in India any longer as the country witnesses the "onset of dictatorship".
Rahul Gandhi said addressing a press conference ahead of the protests against price rise and GST hike, "How are you enjoying the onset of dictatorship in India. Are you enjoying it?"
The Congress MP, who has been relentlessly vocal against BJP government's policies since past eight years, appeared before the press wearing a black band on his arm, and later went to Parliament wearing a black Tshirt as a mark of protest.
Gandhi recently faced probe agency's questioning for 50 hours in the National Herald PMLA case that have now accelerated to raids and sealing of Young India premises.
"There is no democracy in India today... We want to raise price rise, unemployment, communal divide. We are not being allowed to speak in Parliament, we are arrested (outside). This is the situation," he said.
"What we are witnessing is the death of democracy. What India has built brick by brick starting a century ago has been destroyed...
"Anybody who stands against this idea -- the onset of dictatorship -- is viciously attacked, arrested, beaten up. The idea is that people's issues, whether price rise, unemployment, violence in society, people's issues should not be raised," Rahul Gandhi said.
"This dictatorship is being run in the interest of 2-3 big business people by two people," Rahul Gandhi said in a veiled attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"All institutions in the country are being controlled by the RSS and BJP, and the Congress' fight as an Opposition party was not just against the BJP, but against that entire "infrastructure".
"The Opposition fights in a democracy on the basis of the institutions -- the legal, judicial, electoral structure, media.
"All these institutions are supporting govt because they have appointed their own people in these institutions... Every institution has a person from RSS. We are not fighting against one party, we are fighting against this infrastructure of India," he said.
"We never controlled the infrastructure, today it is with one party. If someone supports another political party ED is used against them."
He said the Opposition is aggressive, but the impact is not visible.
He also slammed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and said she was only a "mouthpiece".
"I don't think the finance minister has any understanding of what is going on in India. She is there as a mouthpiece. She has absolutely no understanding. If she had understanding we would not be in the situation we are in," Rahul Gandhi said.
He also said the more he raises people's issues, the more he would be attacked by the government.
"I understand one thing very clearly. The more I raise people's issue, the more I tell the truth, more I would be attacked by the government. My problem is I tell the truth, I don't lie. I will keep raising price rise, unemployment, and there will be more attacks," he said.
"Those who are scared will threaten. Who are they scared of? They are scared of the situation that is there, the promises they didn't fulfill, they are scared of power of people because they lie all the time," the Congress leader said.
"We are not scared, what is there to be scared of."
He said it was his duty to "resist the idea of RSS".
"The more I do it, the harder I will be attacked. I am happy... Why do they attack Gandhi family? It is because we fight for an ideology and there are crores of people in India with us."
"My family has sacrificed their lives. We fight for this ideology. We feel the pain so we fight," he added.
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