Indian leader of opposition 9n lower House of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi denounced an ‘ideological war’ in the South Asian country, ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party.

According to a Kashmir Media Service report on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi while talking to US media person at National Press Club in Washington, said that there were ‘two completely different visions’ between his Congress party and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

‘We believe in a plural vision, a vision where everybody has a right to thrive… an India where you’re not persecuted because of what religion you believe in, or what community you come from, or which language you speak,’ Gandhi said. Gandhi, 54, was appointed in June to lead India’s opposition in parliament, a key post that had been vacant for a decade.

His party’s result in the 2024 election – nearly doubling its parliamentary numbers – defied analyst expectations and forced Modi’s BJP to form a coalition to govern.

In Washington, Gandhi said India had a problem with participation of weaker castes, pointing in particular to Dalits – the once socalled ‘untouchables’ in India’s caste system. ‘So there is a very small percentage of India which is controlling the entire infrastructure,’ Gandhi said.

He also criticized Modi’s handling of relations with China, with which India shares a 2,100 mile (3,500 kilometer) border that is a constant source of tension and occasional confr1ISontation between the two nations.