New Delhi, February 28: Congress leader Sachin Pilot unleashed a scathing critique of the central government’s handling of dissent and its foreign policy decisions during a media interaction here today. Speaking on the bail granted to Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib in the AI Summit protest case, Pilot asserted that protesting is a fundamental democratic right that cannot be stripped away.
Pilot highlighted the government’s apparent panic over Youth Congress activists, noting that multiple charges were slapped on them despite Chib not even being present at the AI Summit. ‘Five or six young men wearing T-shirts and protesting—how does that threaten India’s internal security?’ he questioned, accusing the administration of using suppression tactics to silence opposition voices.
He pointed out that protests are commonplace during major events in the country, yet this time, the response was driven by vengeance, leading to arrests and jail terms. ‘The government gets rattled by a handful of young Congress leaders raising their voices,’ Pilot remarked, vowing unwavering support for his party’s youth wing.
Shifting focus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Israel visit, Pilot criticized the timing as inappropriate, arguing it compromised India’s long-standing support for the two-nation theory. ‘Foreign policy should prioritize national interests, not personal image-building,’ he emphasized.
Over the past 11 years, Pilot claimed, India’s diplomacy has become personality-driven, relying on personal relationships at the expense of the country’s benefit. ‘India’s gains must supersede any party or leader. The government has repeatedly compromised foreign policy for image and personal ties, and I strongly oppose this,’ he concluded, urging a return to principled diplomacy.