Hyderabad, November 14 (Yes Punjab News)
Giacomo Filibeck, Secretary General of the Party of European Socialists, has expressed concern over what he described as the ongoing “hijacking” of Indian democracy, voicing support for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.
Speaking to IANS on the sidelines of the Bharat Summit 2026 in Hyderabad, Filibeck said new facts had emerged about the state of Indian democracy, which Rahul Gandhi had explained to the conference audience.
“We cannot tolerate that what was once the largest democracy in the world to become a corrupted one. So, we stand by Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party, in defending democracy in India,” he said.
His remarks came after the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Union government at the summit, alleging that Indian democracy had been systematically dismantled and was no longer functioning.
Congress leader and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid said the summit brought together people concerned about democracy and the distortion of democratic systems across the world. Participants shared examples from their own experiences.
Telangana Congress Vice-President Kota Neelima described Rahul Gandhi’s address as a powerful speech. She said he had raised questions about voters who participated in the 2014 general elections but were allegedly missing from electoral rolls today. Neelima said the challenge to democracy was a global problem, not limited to one country.
Congress MP Praveen Chakravarty said the summit featured discussions with senior political leaders from Ecuador, Thailand and Norway on innovative ideas for progressive liberal parties. He highlighted the importance of exchanging experiences and learning from electoral practices in different countries, citing discussions about Brazil’s elections.
Meanwhile, Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy criticised the Congress-led Telangana government for organising the summit using public funds.
Questioning the government’s involvement, he asked how it could officially spend public money on behalf of the Congress party and demanded an explanation about the nature of the collaboration, expenditure and procedures followed.
Responding to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s claim that the summit would help attract future investments to Telangana, Kishan Reddy questioned how foreign investors could be expected to invest in a country that Congress leaders were describing as being governed by a fascist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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