During an interaction with journalists at the National Press Club in Washington DC, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi voiced his concerns about the state of press freedom in India.
Emphasising the importance of press freedom for a well-functioning democracy and stressing the need to be open to criticism, Gandhi alleged that there has been a tightening of controls on the institutional framework that shapes the national discourse in India.
"There is definitely a weakening of press freedom in India. It is apparent in India and the rest of the world can see it too. Press freedom is very critical for a democracy. One should be open to criticism. There is a clampdown on the institutional framework that allowed India to talk and Indian people to negotiate. I view India as a negotiation between its people, between different cultures, languages and histories."Rahul Gandhi
"Mahatma Gandhi set up the framework to enable that negotiation fairly and freely. That structure, which allows this negotiation, is coming under pressure," the former Wayanad MP further said.
Gandhi is on a six-day-visit to the United States will previously visited San Francisco. He will subsequently travel to New York.
Indian Democracy is 'Global Public Good: Rahul Gandhi
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington DC, Rahul Gandhi cautioned that if democracy were to collapse in India, it would have repercussions beyond its borders and would not be in America's national interest, but acknowledged that the issue of democracy is an internal matter for India.
“It’s our job, it's our business, and it's our work to fight the battle for democracy in India. “And it's something that we understand, we accept, and we do,” he told reporters at a press conference.
“But the thing to remember is that Indian democracy is a global public good. Because India is large enough that a collapse in democracy in India will affect...will have an impact on the world. So that is for you to think about how much you have to value Indian democracy. But for us, it's an internal matter, and it's a fight that we are committed to, and we are going to, we are going to win."Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi also commented on India's strategic ties with the US and said that there is a requirement to expand the relationship, without restricting it to defence.
“India, of course, has its view on things, and I think that that view should be put on the table, but I don't think one should think about these things as the centre of things. I think that's, that would be arrogant,” he said, a Hindustan Times report said.
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