Rahul Gandhi urges India-US collaboration to counter China’s “non-democratic” vision

Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence in the bipartisan support for India-US relations in both countries, noting “continuity” between the Congress party’s approach and that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that he doesn’t foresee significant changes in direction.

Washington: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday emphasised that there is a need for India and the US to cooperate now to present to the world an alternative to China’s “non-democratic production vision”.

Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence in the bipartisan support the India-US relationship enjoys in both countries and said he sees “continuity” in the Congress government’s approach to India-US ties and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s. “I don’t see ourselves changing direction very much from what he’s doing”. By the same token, he said he does not think Vice-President Kamala Harris’ approach to the relationship is any different from her Republican rival for the White House former President Donald Trump’s.

The Leader of the Opposition, who is on a three-day US visit, held a wide-ranging discussion at Washington DC’s National Press Club. His trip started on Sunday in Dallas, Texas.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Congress leader met a group of US lawmakers at Capitol Hill that included Indian American members of the House of Representatives Ro Khanna and Shri Thanedar, firebrand progressive Congresswoman Ilhan Umar and senior Congressman Brad Sherman.

Asked about the state of India-US relations at the press club event, Rahul Gandhi said there were two aspects to it. Defence cooperation is one, and he expressed satisfaction with the status. “But then the second is what I touched on just now, which is (that) China has placed in front of us a vision for production and prosperity in a non-democratic environment,” he said. “What is our response? Are we simply going to just sit there and say, okay, China can be the producer of the world and we’re not going to do anything? Or do we have a response? What is our response to the Belt and Road, right?”

China’s Belt and Road Initiative traps needy countries by funding developments through extremely predatory funding mechanisms that compromise their independence and sovereignty.

He added: “I don’t see one. So to me, that’s really where US and India cooperation needs to go. How can we provide a democratic vision of production, of manufacturing that actually works to the rest of the world? And I think both countries bring different things to the table, and I think there’s a huge opportunity there.”

The Congress leader also took questions on domestic politics and pushed back strongly against one about how he would like to see the US put pressure on Prime Minister Modi. He said, “The fight for democracy in India is an Indian fight. With all due respect, it (has) nothing to do with anybody else. It’s our problem, and we’ll take care of it.”