New Delhi: Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) chairman Sam Pitroda charged the BJP of stifling discussion and taking India back in the name of Hindutva, while the RSS has got their best chance to transform the country into one of their dreams and this is the real fight of ideas.

Speaking to IANS, Pitroda said, “It is not about the image of Rahul Gandhi or the public perception, it is about the real issues that India is going through as a nation. After BJP came to power nine years ago, we have seen substantial change in the way government should work. We believe democracy has been affected, we believe Constitution has been ignored. Institutions are captured, so there is very little confidence left in the ED, the IT, court cases, and even universities are not allowed to have free say.”

“There is no free exchange of ideas, there is no rational conversation that you and I are having today without shouting at each other. In the process, the mindset of the people has been changed, the focus is more on the past, religion, and god, as opposed to the future, science, economy, and jobs. This is a major concern that we are being misled in the name of Hindutva…,” Pitroda said, who has worked with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, former Congress Presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Pitroda was responding to a question about Rahul Gandhi’s recent US visit and if he saw any change in the image of the former Congress chief.

He further said that India is a country of 1.5 billion people and a lot of good things are bound to happen not because of the government but because of the people’s work. “Of course, the government needs to take credit, but the government can’t take credit for everything good and not take responsibility for everything bad like what is happening in Manipur,” he said referring to the violence in the northeastern state since May 3(IANS)