New Delhi, India

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has claimed that members of the Narendra Modi govenment in India are in touch with the INDIA bloc. He has also suggested that even a minor disturbance could topple the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. 

Advertisment

Gandhi, in an interview with the Financial Times, claimed that there was "great discontent" within the Modi government and that it would struggle to survive.

"The space in the Indian political system has been blown open. A tectonic shift has taken place in Indian politics," he said.

Also read | Pannun murder-for-hire case: Visuals of Indian national Nikhil Gupta's extradition released by Czech police

Advertisment

"The numbers are such that they are very fragile, and the smallest disturbance can drop the government. Basically, one ally has to turn the other way," he added, refusing to elaborate on his claims. 

BJP's 'politics of hate'

Gandhi said the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were a repudiation of the Bharatiya Janata Party's politics of "hatred".

Advertisment

"The idea that you can spread hatred, you can spread anger and you can reap benefits of that — the Indian people have rejected it in this election. Essentially, what has happened is that the basic architecture of BJP — the idea of creating religious hatred — that has collapsed." 

Recent elections saw the Modi-led bloc NDA come to power for the third time with 293 Lok Sabha seats. Despite this, the BJP lost its majority and now depends on smaller parties to remain in power. 

The INDIA coalition, established to challenge the BJP, shocked everyone by winning 234 seats, making Rahul Gandhi the face of opposition politics.

Also read | Rahul Gandhi to retain Rae Bareli, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Wayanad

Gandhi had announced that he would continue to be an MP from Rae Bareli in the north, and that his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest the by-polls from Wayanad in the south.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi had contested and won both seats, but the Indian law allows a person to represent only one seat in the Parliament. 

If Vadra is elected from Wayanad, there would be three members from the Nehru-Gandhi family in the Parliament: Sonia Gandhi in Rajya Sabha and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in Lok Sabha. 

(With inputs from agencies)