France, March 26 -- For the past fortnight, India's ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Congress, the main opposition, have been engaging in a war of words in parliament over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Indian democracy during a recent visit to London.

During his trip, Gandhi met an eclectic audience including journalists, academics, researchers, and civil society activists.

Gandhi, 52, who was disqualified as an MP on Friday in a separate criminal defamation case, has been the eye of the storm following his week-long speaking tour in the UK where he bemoaned the crumbling structures of Indian democracy.Restricting free speech

"Everyone knows and it's been in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure, ...