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Congress person Rahul Gandhi connected Thursday (February 26, 2026) powerfully criticised the constabulary enactment against his party's younker helping activists implicit the "shirtless protest", drafting a crisp parallel betwixt Prime Minister Narendra Modi's authorities and the authoritarian authorities successful North Korea.
"This is India, not North Korea," Mr. Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition successful the Lok Sabha, said successful a station successful Hindi connected X and asserted that peaceful protestation is the psyche of ideology and not a crime.
He said the world's largest ideology is being dilatory pushed successful a absorption wherever dissent is labelled arsenic treason and asking questions is called a conspiracy.
When those successful powerfulness commencement seeing themselves arsenic the federation and dissent arsenic the force -- that is erstwhile ideology dies, Mr. Gandhi said.
"In today's India, nether the regularisation of a compromised PM, peaceful protestation has been turned into the biggest crime. The world's largest ideology is being dilatory pushed successful a absorption wherever dissent is labelled arsenic treason and asking questions is called a conspiracy," the erstwhile Congress main said.
"Think astir it, nary substance the issue, if you rise your dependable against those successful powerfulness done law means, past batons, lawsuits, and jailhouse are astir a certainty," helium said.
Youth tormented by insubstantial leaks raised their voices for their aboriginal and were met with blows from batons, helium claimed.
"The country's arrogant women wrestlers demanded a just probe into superior allegations against a almighty BJP leader. Their cries were defamed, their question crushed, and they were forcibly removed from the streets.
"A peaceful objection took spot astatine India Gate successful enactment of a rape victim. The request for justness was deemed an inconvenience to the strategy and dispersed," Mr. Gandhi said.
When the Youth Congress peacefully protested against a U.S. Trade woody harmful to the country, they were branded "anti-national" and arrested, helium said.
When mean radical stood up against poisonous air, adjacent concerns for the situation were dismissed arsenic "politics" and suppressed, Mr. Gandhi said, adding that erstwhile farmers protested for their rights, they excessively were labelled anti-national.
"Tear gas, rubber bullets, h2o cannons, and batons -- these became the means of dialogue. When tribals stood up for their rights to water, forests, and land, suspicion was formed upon them excessively -- arsenic if demanding one's rights is simply a crime. What benignant of ideology is this, wherever a Compromised PM fears questions? Where crushing dissent is becoming the quality of governance?" helium said.
Asking questions is not democracy's weakness, it is its strength, helium said.
"Democracy grows stronger erstwhile the authorities listens to criticism, responds, and remains accountable. Modi ji, this is India, not North Korea. When those successful powerfulness commencement seeing themselves arsenic the federation and dissent arsenic the force -- that is erstwhile ideology dies," Mr. Gandhi said.
His remarks came aft a high-voltage standoff betwixt the constabulary teams of Delhi and Shimla came to an extremity pursuing a melodramatic 24 hours connected Thursday (February 26, 2026) morning, aft the Delhi Police squad was yet cleared to caput backmost to the nationalist superior on with the 3 Youth Congress activists arrested successful transportation with the "shirtless protest" astatine the AI Summit.
The "shirtless protest" astatine Bharat Mandapam connected February 20 prompted a important information response, with constabulary earlier invoking charges including rioting and promoting enmity nether applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president, Uday Bhanu Chib, and erstwhile nationalist spokesperson, Bhudev Sharma, were arrested successful transportation with the lawsuit connected Tuesday (February 24, 2026). Both were subsequently produced earlier a Delhi tribunal and remanded to constabulary custody for interrogation.
According to the Delhi Police, a full of 11 radical person been arrested truthful far.
On Saturday (February 21, 2026) midnight, Delhi Police raided Himachal Sadan successful the nationalist superior amid reports that IYC workers who had participated successful the protestation were provided accommodation there.
