Kiren Rijiju Slams Foreign Interference Over Democracy Concerns in India

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized foreign involvement in Indian affairs after a European leader claimed democracy is under attack. The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of seeking external interference to undermine the current government.

Kiren Rijiju Slams Foreign Interference Over Democracy Concerns in India

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday took an indirect dig at Congress, including Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, after European leader Giacomo Filibeck claimed that democracy is "under attack" in India and expressed support for Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress. In a post on X, without naming anyone, Rijiju sharply criticised the involvement of foreign political figures in India's domestic affairs, raising questions about political reactions to external commentary targeting the country. "Have you ever seen anyone laughing when India is insulted by a foreigner? I'm not asking about which Indian goes abroad to insult India," Kiren Rijiju wrote.

This comes after Giacomo Filibeck, Secretary General of the Party of European Socialists (PES), claimed that democracy is "under attack" in India. Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Bharat Summit 2026, organised by the Congress in Hyderabad, Filibeck said that international gatherings and conferences were important to draw global attention to challenges concerning democracy in India. "I believe that this kind of gatherings, conference, summit are vital to raise international attention on concerning challenges. Democracy is under attack in India, and we need to defend it, and the best way to defend it is to stand by Rahul Gandhi and the Indian Congress Party," he said.

Meanwhile, reacting to foreign delegations' support for the Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition amid the ongoing Summit, BJP National Spokesperson and National Media Co-Incharge Pradeep Bhandari accused Rahul Gandhi of seeking foreign interference in India's domestic political affairs. In a post on X, Bhandari alleged that Rahul Gandhi had become a "puppet of foreign powers & George Soros wanting instability in India", claiming that his interactions with foreign delegates at the Congress-organised summit reflected an attempt to seek foreign support for removing the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier today, Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao condemned Gandhi’s remarks on democracy and the BJP at the Bharat Summit, demanding an apology from the Congress leader to the nation. On Gandhi’s "democracy had been destroyed in India in 2014" remark, Rao reminded the opposition party of the Emergency and how it "dismissed several democratically elected governments when it was in power". “We condemn Rahul Gandhi’s attack on the BJP and Indian democracy at yesterday’s Bharat Summit. We condemn his statement that since 2014, democracy has not existed in India. Before 2014, when Congress was in power, Rahul Gandhi should remember that it was his party which imposed an Emergency in this country… It was his party which dismissed several governments that were democratically elected. Where was democracy then?” he questioned while speaking to ANI.