Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his keynote speech at the NDTV World Summit 2026 on Thursday to take aim at the Congress and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. He questioned how long the party would keep trying to launch what he described as a “failed product.”
Modi said that at a time when the world is looking for a new order, some people in India are hoping for disorder. According to him, while the world is facing turmoil and India should be projecting a strong image, these people care only about damaging the country's standing. He accused them of criticising India on foreign soil and asking other countries to step in.
Modi did not mention Rahul Gandhi by name, but his next remark, a line he has used before, made it clear who he meant. He compared the Congress's repeated efforts to promote its leader to rocket launches, saying, “Sriharikota does not see as many launches as the Congress tries, unsuccessfully, to launch its leader in a year.”
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He said the party was free to harm itself, but accused it of risking India's progress and reputation to shield one family from failure. Using a sour grapes comparison, he said the Congress had become so bitter after losing power that it was now trying to destroy the vine itself.
‘A Burden on the Congress'
The Prime Minister also claimed that the Nehru-Gandhi family had become a burden on the Congress, and that senior party leaders privately agreed and even discussed it with people in government. He alleged that the voices of those wanting to oppose the government democratically were being silenced. Talented young opposition MPs wanted to speak and challenge the government in Parliament, he said, but the Congress stalled proceedings so that only “one person” stayed in the spotlight.
Modi called the Congress a “parasite” (“parjeevi”) that does not want anyone else to succeed. He claimed that “dimagi Naxals” had taken such control of the party that it could no longer think on its own, and that people who once caused destruction in villages had now joined the Congress.
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About the Summit
Modi's speech closed the first day of the summit, themed “A World Between Orders.” The day also featured an address by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and discussions on AI, global capital flows, energy and trade. On Day 2, October 23, speakers include RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
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