New Delhi, October 2026 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday thanked thousands of people who participated in protests across the country and millions who expressed solidarity at 3 pm, describing the demonstrations as a strong message that Indians would not be intimidated or silenced.
In a post following the protests, Gandhi expressed gratitude to leaders of the INDIA bloc, Congress workers, alliance activists and civil society organisations for joining the mobilisation.
“Today was a very important day because we needed to show the government that the people of India are not going to be intimidated. You cannot beat us, threaten us, frighten us. We will not accept being bullied,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader also targeted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), questioning the absence of its members whom he accused of assaulting young children during an incident two days earlier.
“I was wondering where the cowards of the RSS who were beating the young children day before yesterday were. Where were those people? Because I didn’t see them,” he remarked.
Challenging the RSS to appear publicly when people united in protest, Gandhi accused the organisation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of relying on power and intimidation. His remarks reflected the opposition's escalating political confrontation with the ruling establishment.
Gandhi stressed that the demonstrations represented a united movement rather than separate protests organised by different political groups. He said people from across the political spectrum were coming together to defend constitutional principles and democratic institutions.
“It’s one protest, and it’s a protest where everybody is standing together. Every single person is going to stand against these killers of our Constitution, these killers of our democracy. And we’re not going to back down,” he declared.
He also acknowledged the contribution of civil society organisations, thanking them for supporting the movement and emphasising that their participation was valued.
Expressing pride in those who took to the streets, Gandhi said the protesters had worked together as a team to defend what he described as the idea of India, the Constitution and democracy.
“I’m extremely proud of every single person who came out on the streets,” he said.
The protests come amid continuing political tensions between the Congress-led opposition and the BJP. Opposition leaders have presented their demonstrations as a campaign to protect constitutional rights and democratic institutions, while Gandhi's latest remarks underscored the INDIA bloc's emphasis on collective action.
His message sought to reinforce unity among opposition parties, activists and civil society groups, portraying their participation as a collective stand against alleged intimidation and threats to democratic values.
