India no longer works as a democracy, destroyed since 2014: Rahul Gandhi

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi addresses the valedictory session of the Bharat 2026 Summit in Hyderabad on November 14, 2026 where he asserted that India is “no longer a democracy” | Photo credit: Nagara Gopal

India’s democratic system was destroyed in 2014, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday, saying the power of money and control of institutions had changed the country’s electoral and political landscape and sidelined opposition parties.

Speaking at the valedictory session of the 2026 Bharat Summit, Mr Gandhi claimed that millions of dollars were pumped into the electoral system during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, giving rise to a new breed of politics that left opposition parties in shock. This trend continued in subsequent elections as the ruling party enjoyed huge financial resources while parties committed to democratic processes struggled to compete, the Congress leader argued.

The opposition is in shock

He said it took almost a decade for the opposition to understand the extent of the changes in the country’s political and electoral system. “I’d be lying if I said the opposition wasn’t in shock. We’ve been in shock not for a year, but for a decade,” he said.

Mr. Gandhi attributed the marginalization of opposition parties to the growing influence of money power, divisive politics and the alleged capture of institutions.

The transformation was evident in an electoral landscape that had previously seen close contests and coalition governments but had since undergone a dramatic change, leaving opposition parties pondering emerging political patterns, he said.

Disturbing patterns

Mr. Gandhi said that the election results of all the states were analyzed to understand the changing electoral trends.

Referring to the Maharashtra elections, he claimed that the opposition got almost equal number of votes in the Assembly and House elections, but the results were vastly different. He claimed that nearly seven lakh new voters were added to the electoral roll in the three months before the assembly elections and claimed that all of them voted for the BJP.

According to him, opposition analysis indicated that similar patterns were visible in several other states. These findings reinforced his belief that India was no longer functioning as a democracy, he said.

I apologize to the foreign delegates

The opposition leader also apologized to the international delegates who were invited to the Bharat summit but were reportedly denied visas or permission to enter India.

“I would like to apologize to the many delegates and leaders who were supposed to attend but the Indian government did not allow them to come,” he said, adding that the episode offered a glimpse of the situation the country is currently facing.

Mr Gandhi expressed confidence that the situation would change and vowed to reclaim the country from what he described as fascist forces that he said were gaining ground around the world. He argued that the fight against such forces would be led by love and non-violence, expressing faith in the ability of democratic and progressive forces to bring about change.

Published – 14 Nov 2026 20:06 IST