Rahul Gandhi compares BJP's Modi to Hitler

E-Paper | May 06, 2026

NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi, the heir to the dynasty that leads India's ruling party, on Tuesday compared opposition leader Narendra Modi to Adolf Hitler - his sharpest attack yet on a rival who is forecast to beat him in an upcoming general election.

Modi, the pro-business candidate for prime minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has topped several opinion polls as the most popular choice to head the next government.

He has electrified the campaign with promises of getting India out of its economic downturn and creating jobs for its burgeoning young population.

But Modi's rivals say the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat is an autocrat who failed to stop religious riots in his state in 2002, in which more than 1,000 people,mostly Muslims, were killed.

He has denied wrong doing and India's Supreme Court did not find enough evidence to prosecute him.

In a speech in Modi's home state, Gandhi criticised the Hindu nationalist's development record and contrasted him with the type of leader who had founded modern India.

“There is another type of leader,” Gandhi said, after describing independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.

“The biggest example is Hitler. Hitler, who believed that there was no need to learn from the people and who thought whatever happened in Germany was done by Hitler and that the people had nothing to do with it.”

India's ruling Congress party has lost popularity after a decade in power marred by corruption. In recent weeks a string of leaders have compared Modi's rise to the emergence of fascism in Europe.

“These are the dialogues of the 1970s. They have no relevance in 2014,” said Ravi Shankar Prasad, a senior BJP leader, in response to Gandhi's references to Hitler.

Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party and a Modi opponent, tore into his economic model while in Gujarat last week.

India's election is due to start on April 7 and voting will span five weeks. The world's largest democracy has 814 million registered voters, according to the election commission.

Opinion polls predict that the BJP will win the biggest single chunk of votes, but will still fall short of the 272 seats needed for a majority in the 543-seat parliament.

Modi has presided over a period of rapid economic growth in Gujarat and has slashed red tape to attract companies such as Ford, Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors.

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AHA

Mar 11, 2014 08:16pm

But didn't Hitler win the 1933 elections, not as a majority party but as the party with highest votes. So Modi will now be the new PM (or Chancellor).

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John

Mar 11, 2014 08:48pm

I am running out of words to describe the personality of Rahul Gandhi. A college dropout, living on free and illegal money earned by his family and other Congress henchmen. This man has the guts and courage to paint others in Hitler colors when his own grandmother was a proven Dictator.

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Naveed Khan

Mar 11, 2014 09:28pm

Hitler and Modi committed genocide to prove the superiority of their race and faith. Hitler was a tyrant but a brave man, Modi is a tyrant but a coward. Hitler took on the powerful and the rich of the society, Modi killed down trodden, weak and most vulnerable. Both are despicable characters.

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Akram

Mar 11, 2014 09:46pm

I made the same comparison on Dawn last week, comparing him with hitler, our indian readers on Dawn thought I was wrong. looks like I am not the only one eh?

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Indian

Mar 11, 2014 10:38pm

India needs a guy like Hitler!! Time to repeat the history! Namaste.

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Mar 12, 2014 12:41am

Modi says he was not involved in the riots and had nothing to do with them. I humbly submit that not getting involved or not having anything to do with it, is also doing something. I ask can Modi show what he did to prevent/stop the riots, instead of the unfortunate line he has taken, "dun know what you are talking about.....". Honesty in poli-tricks, thy name is Kejriwal !

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Harish

Mar 12, 2014 01:15am

I wonder what scale is being applied to judge Modi under whose about 2000, mostly Muslims and one third of that being Hindus were killed in 2002, when the countries where millions of Hindus and other minorities just disappeared are just not being questioned. It is a shame. May be the situation in Muslims countries, in particular Pakistan and Muslim majority Kashmir, is so hopeless that mankind has accepted the fact that Muslims will not tolerate others and it is OK for them to kill or convert but why should Hindus do it ? Why don't they just let Muslims kill them ? That appears to be the case. I fully support Modi, not because of his perceived communal leanings, but he is a strong leader who can make decisions. To me, the attacks on Modi is another form of terrorism. Remember one thing, Modi or no Modi, Indian middle class wants secularism in letter and spirit, and not the secularism where minority card is played during elections. After eliminating minorities, I wonder from where Pakistanis get the audacity to talk aboyt 2002 riots. Modi appears to be right choice. If he is Hitler so be it.

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Nizamuddin Ahmad Aali

Mar 12, 2014 02:47am

Hitler will be considered a " school boy ", if compared with Mr. modi.

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nak

Mar 12, 2014 05:16am

@Harish: You my friend are obviously somone who is consumed with hatred towards muslims and particularly pakistan, yourself and folks like you are the likely voters of Modi. you sir are part of the problem not the solution.

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Amrish Bhat

Mar 12, 2014 05:26am

@Naveed Khan:..you are an uneducated bigot..please look up genocide before you use your limited gray matter..

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Indian

Mar 12, 2014 05:35am

@Naveed Khan: Modi doesn't need to kill anyone to prove that we are a superior race and civilization. We all know it already. Namaste.

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Indian Muslim

Mar 12, 2014 12:22pm

@Indian: wow Time To Repeat History Huh!!!!!

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Shehzad Zafar

Mar 12, 2014 02:09pm

@Naveed Khan: Naveed what a correct comparison.

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Anidesh Madhav

Mar 12, 2014 06:58pm

Rahul Gandhi is trying to make fool of public. He doesnt have anything to say about the corruption happened during the past 10 years rule of his party. He and his party consider Muslims as mere vote banks and do nothing good for their well being. Instead the so called "Hitler" Modi has never allowed corruption in Gujrat and now it is well progreessed state. There is not even a single riots in Gujrat after 2002, why ? Where as many riots occured in congress ruled states every year. May Modi become the next PM of India !

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Anidesh Madhav

Mar 12, 2014 07:05pm

@js: Modi has send all armed forces of Gujrat to stop violence. He asked the neighbouring (Congress rule)state Maharashtra to send more forces to control the violence , but they did not send their force. He finally asked the Indian Army help and on the third day the violence is controlled.

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yasmin

Mar 12, 2014 09:09pm

but I think Gujarat high court relieve modi for all the cases against him

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Robin

Mar 13, 2014 01:28am

Infact Rahul is more related to Hitler than any body else. His grandfather fought togather with the Hitler army. He was Hitler sympatizer. http(:)//www(.)outlookindia(.)com/article(.)aspx?205112

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Ravi

Mar 13, 2014 12:47pm

Modi has also justified the illegal poaching committed by Indian trawlers on sri lankas fish resources. He logic is that India is a powerful country and should be allowed to break international Maritime boundaries whenever they feel like it.

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