India's Democracy Faces Existential Crisis| Rethinking Liberties | Barkha Dutt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cv_tPjufpg
Mar 17, 2021 In a seminar at Brown University, in conversation with Professor Ashutosh Varshney, Rahul Gandhi compared the state of India's democracy to regimes under Saddam Hussein & Gaddafi. While this has invited a flurry of criticism, it has to be noted that many international organisations such as Freedom House & V Dem have also argued how India is now a "partly" free country, and an "electoral autocracy". As we try to make sense of these viewpoints, the key questions that arise are - has India's democracy really dwindled, or are such blanket statements a generalisation of the status quo? Barkha Dutt discusses with Gurcharan Das, Shruti Kapila, Irfan Habib & Sushant Sareen.
A Conversation with Rahul Gandhi https://watson.brown.edu/events/2021/conversation-rahul-gandhi Mar 20, 2021
'Witnessed Saddam-like time during Emergency': Minister attacks Rahul Gandhi https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/witnessed-saddam-like-time-during-emergency-minister-attacks-rahul-gandhi-101615965902979.html MAR 17, 2021
Rahul Gandhi made the comment while speaking to Professor Ashutosh Varshney of Brown University. Gandhi was speaking to Professor Ashutosh Varshney of Brown University on different issues, when he was asked about the recent report which downgraded India to an "electoral autocracy" and Freedom House analysis which shifted India's status from a 'free' country to 'partly-free.'
"Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi used to have elections. They used to win them. It wasn't like they weren't voting but there was no institutional framework to protect that vote,"
