Rahul Gandhi dares Modi to arrest Opposition, says 'we will not back down' in fight to defend Constitution
New Delhi, Oct 10 (UNI) Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing them of cowardice and declaring that the Opposition would intensify its campaign to defend the Constitution and protect the voice of the Indian people.
In a strongly worded post on social media platform X, Gandhi asserted that the ruling establishment was increasingly feeling the pressure of Opposition protests and political resistance. Naming Modi, Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval among those he described as the "villains of this story", Gandhi declared that the space available to them was shrinking. "They are slowly finding the space closing around them. We are closing that space," he said. "I've been fighting Narendra Modi and the RSS for over a decade now. I understand them like you would understand your opponent - inside out, like the back of my hand," Gandhi said, alleging that "the core characteristic of these people is cowardice".
Escalating his challenge to the government amid heightened political tensions in the national capital, Gandhi dared Modi to deploy additional police personnel and arrest Opposition leaders and young protesters. "Mr Modi, do whatever you want. Call out all the police: 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, whatever you want," he said. "Arrest all the leaders. Arrest all the young people. Arrest us all." "We are surrounding you, and we are not going to back down. Mark my words: we already have the information we need," the Congress leader added, without elaborating on the information he claimed the Opposition possessed. Gandhi said the campaign against the government was aimed at defending constitutional values and preventing what he alleged had been a sustained assault on India's democratic institutions over the past decade.
"We are going to defend our Constitution. We are going to protect the voice of the Indian people. And we are going to ensure that what was done to India over the last 10-15 years will never, ever be done again," he said. Extending his support to young people participating in protests, Gandhi praised their resistance and urged them to continue raising their voices. "Youth of India, I am proud of you. Keep protesting. We are standing with you," he said, asserting that the Congress would work to defeat the government and those he accused of undermining the Constitution.
Gandhi's remarks came amid an intensifying confrontation between the Congress and other Opposition parties, on the one hand, and the Narendra Modi government and the Election Commission, on the other, over electoral processes, democratic accountability and the treatment of protesters in the national capital.
The Opposition has repeatedly accused the authorities of misusing state machinery to suppress dissent and has demanded accountability from the Election Commission, particularly over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The government and the poll body have defended their actions and electoral procedures. The latest attack also comes against the backdrop of Opposition protests over the revision of electoral rolls and demands for greater transparency in the functioning of the Election Commission.
Opposition parties have questioned the manner in which the SIR exercise is being conducted and raised concerns about the exclusion of eligible voters, while the poll body has maintained that the revision is part of the process of ensuring accurate electoral rolls. By directly challenging Modi and naming senior figures in the government and institutions, Gandhi sought to project the Opposition's campaign as a wider struggle over constitutional safeguards, democratic freedoms and citizens' right to protest. His appeal to young people, coupled with his declaration that the Opposition would not retreat despite possible arrests, signalled the Congress's determination to sustain its confrontation with the ruling establishment as tensions over electoral integrity and the handling of dissent continue to mount.
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