Key Points

Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi wrote: "Proud to see Bajaj, Hero & TVS do so well in Colombia. Shows Indian companies can win with innovation, not cronyism. Great job."

His remarks came during his ongoing international tour, where he is engaging with the Indian diaspora, students, and academics.

Gandhi is currently in Colombia as part of his outreach programme and is scheduled to visit several Latin American countries.

Earlier on Thursday, during an interaction with students at EIA University in Medellín, Colombia, the Congress leader once again raised concerns over the state of Indian democracy under the current regime. He claimed that India's democratic institutions were being weakened and centralised to serve the interests of a handful of powerful entities.

"I'm very optimistic about India because of its cultural diversity, technological strength, and healthcare system," he said. However, he warned that the country faced significant risks if its democratic framework continued to erode.

Gandhi said India could not afford to adopt China's authoritarian methods, "We can't do what China does, which is suppress people and run an authoritarian system. Our design will just not accept that."

He also took aim at the 2016 demonetisation move by the BJP government, calling it a policy failure. "They demonetised currency with the idea that they'd get rid of cash. Doesn't work. As a policy, it was a failure," Gandhi said.

On the issue of corruption, Gandhi stressed decentralisation of power as a way forward, while accusing the current government of enabling large-scale centralised corruption.

"In India, we have a huge amount of corruption now at a very, very centralised level. Three-four businesses are taking over the whole economy, having a direct relationship with PM. Corruption is rampant in India (now)," he alleged.

- IANS