Rahul Gandhi Says Peaceful Dissent Is Being Treated as a Crime Under Modi; BJP Counters With Charges of Anti-National Politics

India’s political confrontation over protest, dissent and democratic rights has further intensified this week after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi government of criminalising peaceful protest. This drew sharp rebuttals from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and has now deepened an already volatile national debate which is unfolding alongside recent arrests linked to demonstrations at the India AI Impact Summit.

File Photo of Rahul Gandhi; Via: Jairam Ramesh

In a post on X written in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi said that under what he described as a “compromised PM,” peaceful dissent had been turned into the “biggest crime,” alleging that India was being pushed toward a system where disagreement is labelled “anti-national” and questioning authority treated as conspiracy. 

“Peaceful protest is not a crime — it is the soul of democracy,” Rahul Gandhi wrote, and argued that democracy becomes stronger when governments “listen to criticism, respond and remain accountable.” 

He claimed that citizens raising issues ranging from unemployment and environmental concerns to farmers’ protests and alleged injustices had faced police action, asserting that “lathi, cases and jail” had become predictable consequences for constitutional protest against the government.

The remarks came amid an escalating political dispute following the arrest of Youth Congress activists linked to protests against a proposed India–US trade arrangement, which Gandhi described as an example of dissent being suppressed. 

He also referenced earlier protest movements — including demonstrations by students, farmers, wrestlers and environmental activists — to argue that dissent was increasingly being portrayed as destabilising rather than democratic participation. 

In one of the sharpest lines of the post, Gandhi wrote that India “is not North Korea,” warning that democracy weakens when governments equate themselves with the nation and treat opposition as an enemy.

The comments triggered immediate counterattacks from BJP leaders. Union Minister Piyush Goyal accused Gandhi and the Congress party of “compromising national interests,” alleging at a press conference in New Delhi that the party historically placed foreign influence above public welfare and could not accept Prime Minister Modi’s rising popularity or India’s growing global standing. 

BJP spokesperson Bansuri Swaraj separately criticised Gandhi’s rhetoric, saying the opposition leader promoted “hatred, negativity and chaos,” and argued that recent protests by Congress workers demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice national prestige for political gain.

The political exchange unfolded even as Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra participated in a humanitarian outreach programme in Kerala’s Wayanad district on February 26, where they laid the foundation stone for 100 houses being constructed by the party for families affected by the July 30, 2024 Chooralmala–Mundakkai landslide disaster. 

Addressing survivors, Priyanka Gandhi recalled witnessing devastation during her first visit after the tragedy, saying families had lost “homes, livelihoods, schools and businesses overnight,” while praising the unity shown across religious communities. 

She said the party had raised rehabilitation demands in Parliament, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a national disaster declaration, and written to the Prime Minister, adding that “irrespective of politics, all stood together.”

Rahul Gandhi described the reconstruction effort as an act of remembrance for those killed and praised what he called the resilience of Wayanad’s residents, telling beneficiaries that despite heavy losses they had not lost “courage or humanity.” 

Reflecting on his two decades in politics, he argued that public representatives should be “more open and transparent about what is going on,” framing transparency as essential to rebuilding trust between citizens and political leadership.

In a lighter moment during the ceremony, Rahul Gandhi shared a personal anecdote about resolving a disagreement with his sister, joking that a planned family trip to Wayanad helped end a temporary silence between them, calling it “the magic of Wayanad.” 

The constituency, which Rahul Gandhi previously represented before retaining Rae Bareli after the 2024 general election, is now represented in Parliament by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The competing narratives — one portraying dissent as democratic expression and the other framing opposition actions as damaging national interests — reflect a broader struggle over the legitimacy of protest in contemporary India.

The controversy has unfolded against a backdrop of heightened political polarisation, ongoing legal proceedings related to recent demonstrations, and an expanding debate over how the world’s largest democracy balances political contestation, public order and global image at a time of increasing international scrutiny.