Rahul Gandhi Dares Modi to Arrest Opposition, Vows to Continue Fight to Defend Constitution

NEW DELHI, Oct 10 : Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest Opposition leaders and young protesters, declaring that the Congress would not back down from its campaign to defend the Constitution and protect democratic rights.

In a strongly worded post on social media platform X, Gandhi launched a sharp attack on Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing them of cowardice and alleging that the ruling establishment was increasingly feeling the pressure of Opposition resistance.

Gandhi also named RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval among those he described as the “villains of this story”, asserting that the space available to them was shrinking.

“They are slowly finding the space closing around them. We are closing that space,” he said, adding that he had been fighting Modi and the RSS for more than a decade and understood their approach.

Escalating his challenge, Gandhi dared the Prime Minister to deploy additional police personnel and arrest Opposition leaders and young demonstrators.

“Mr Modi, do whatever you want. Call out all the police: 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, whatever you want. Arrest all the leaders. Arrest all the young people. Arrest us all,” he said.

“We are surrounding you, and we are not going to back down. Mark my words: we already have the information we need,” Gandhi added, without elaborating on the information he claimed the Opposition possessed.

Gandhi said the Opposition's campaign was aimed at defending constitutional values and preventing what he alleged was a sustained assault on India's democratic institutions over the past 10-15 years.

“We are going to defend our Constitution. We are going to protect the voice of the Indian people. And we are going to ensure that what was done to India over the last 10-15 years will never, ever be done again,” he said.

Expressing solidarity with young people participating in protests, Gandhi praised their resistance and urged them to continue raising their voices.

“Youth of India, I am proud of you. Keep protesting. We are standing with you,” he said, reiterating the Congress's resolve to challenge the government and what he alleged were efforts to undermine constitutional safeguards.

The remarks come amid escalating tensions between the Congress and other Opposition parties, the Modi government and the Election Commission over electoral processes, democratic accountability and the handling of protests in the national capital.

The Opposition has repeatedly raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, questioning the transparency of the exercise and warning that eligible voters could be excluded. The Election Commission has defended the revision process, maintaining that it is intended to ensure accurate electoral rolls.

Gandhi's latest remarks sought to frame the Opposition's campaign as a broader struggle to protect constitutional institutions, democratic freedoms and citizens' right to protest. His warning that the Opposition would not retreat despite the possibility of arrests signals the Congress's determination to sustain its confrontation with the ruling establishment over electoral integrity and democratic accountability.