'This is India, not North Korea': Rahul slams PM over action against Youth Congress members
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday strongly criticised the police action against his party's youth wing activists over the "shirtless protest", drawing a sharp parallel between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and the authoritarian regime in North Korea.
"This is India, not North Korea," Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said in a post in Hindi on X and asserted that peaceful protest is the soul of democracy and not a crime.
He said the world's largest democracy is being slowly pushed in a direction where dissent is labelled as treason and asking questions is called a conspiracy.
When those in power start seeing themselves as the nation and dissent as the enemy -- that is when democracy dies, Gandhi said.
"In today's India, under the rule of a compromised PM, peaceful protest has been turned into the biggest crime. The world's largest democracy is being slowly pushed in a direction where dissent is labelled as treason and asking questions is called a conspiracy," the former Congress chief said.
"Think about it, no matter the issue, if you raise your voice against those in power through constitutional means, then batons, lawsuits, and jail are almost a certainty," he said.
Youth tormented by paper leaks raised their voices for their future and were met with blows from batons, he claimed.
"The country's proud women wrestlers demanded a fair investigation into serious allegations against a powerful BJP leader. Their cries were defamed, their movement crushed, and they were forcibly removed from the streets.
"A peaceful demonstration took place at India Gate in support of a rape victim. The demand for justice was deemed an inconvenience to the system and dispersed," Gandhi said.
When the Youth Congress peacefully protested against a US Trade deal harmful to the country, they were branded "anti-national" and arrested, he said.
When ordinary people stood up against poisonous air, even concerns for the environment were dismissed as "politics" and suppressed, Gandhi said, adding that when farmers protested for their rights, they too were labelled anti-national.
"Tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, and batons -- these became the means of dialogue. When tribals stood up for their rights to water, forests, and land, suspicion was cast upon them too -- as if demanding one's rights is a crime. What kind of democracy is this, where a Compromised PM fears questions? Where crushing dissent is becoming the nature of governance?" he said.
Asking questions is not democracy's weakness, it is its strength, he said.
"Democracy grows stronger when the government listens to criticism, responds, and remains accountable. Modi ji, this is India, not North Korea. When those in power start seeing themselves as the nation and dissent as the enemy -- that is when democracy dies," Gandhi said.
His remarks came after a high-voltage standoff between the police teams of Delhi and Shimla came to an end following a dramatic 24 hours on Thursday morning, after the Delhi Police team was finally cleared to head back to the national capital along with the three Youth Congress activists arrested in connection with the "shirtless protest" at the AI Summit.
The "shirtless protest" at Bharat Mandapam on February 20 prompted a significant security response, with police earlier invoking charges including rioting and promoting enmity under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president, Uday Bhanu Chib, and former national spokesperson, Bhudev Sharma, were arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday. Both were subsequently produced before a Delhi court and remanded to police custody for interrogation.
According to the Delhi Police, a total of 11 people have been arrested so far.
On Saturday midnight, Delhi Police raided Himachal Sadan in the national capital amid reports that IYC workers who had participated in the protest were provided accommodation there.
आज भारत में Compromised PM के राज में शांतिपूर्ण विरोध करना ही सबसे बड़ा “अपराध” बना दिया गया है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 26, 2026
दुनिया के सबसे बड़े लोकतंत्र को धीरे-धीरे ऐसी दिशा में धकेला जा रहा है, जहां असहमति को देशद्रोह और सवाल पूछने को साज़िश बताया जाता है।
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
