Structures of democracy under brutal attack: Rahul Gandhi

London: Stepping up his attack on the BJP government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under "brutal attack" and there is a full-scale assault on the institutions of the country.

The Opposition leader, who is in London as part of a UK tour, told reporters here that there are conversations ongoing within the Opposition to unite around an alternative vision for the country and act upon an "undercurrent of anger" over pressing issues such as unemployment, price rise, the concentration of wealth and violence against women.

The 52-year-old former Congress president referred to the income tax department's recent survey action against the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai as an example of the "suppression of voice across the country", a motivating factor behind his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' – which he described as an expression of voice against the ruling BJP's attempt to silence the country.

"The reason the yatra became necessary is because the structures of our democracy are under brutal attack," Gandhi told reporters at an India Insights event organised by the Indian Journalists' Association (IJA) on Saturday evening. "The media, the institutional frameworks, judiciary, Parliament is all under attack and we were finding it very difficult to put the voice of the people through the normal channels," he alleged.