‘Indian democracy under attack’: Rahul Gandhi at Cambridge lecture

Alleging that Israel's Pegasus spyware was used to spy on him, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, saying India's democracy is under attack. Rahul Gandhi claimed that he was warned by intelligence officers to be careful while making phone calls as his “calls were being recorded”.

Congress leader Sam Pitroda took to Twitter to share a YouTube link to Gandhi's speech to MBA students at Cambridge Judge Business School on 'Learning to Listen in the 21st Century'.

“I had Pegasus on my phone myself. Numerous politicians had Pegasus on their phones. I got a call from intelligence officers who told me to be careful what I say on the phone because they are kind of recording it,” the Congress leader said.

“So this is the constant pressure we feel. Opposition cases. I have a number of criminal liability cases for things that should not be criminal liability cases under any circumstances. That is what we are trying to defend,” he added. Gandhi also focused on the “art of listening” and called for new thinking to promote a democratic environment around the world.

“The art of listening, when practiced consistently and diligently, is very powerful,” he said. The Congress leader's talk also talked about his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' to highlight “prejudice, unemployment and growing inequality in India”.

He said a "yatra” is a journey or pilgrimage where people “close themselves off to listen to others”. Gandhi is on a week-long tour of the United Kingdom (UK), which began on Tuesday.

His visit to the UK comes days after the 85th plenary session of the Congress in Chattisgarh's Raipur, where the party discussed its strategy for the 2024 general elections and discussed several internal issues.