Government out to eliminate tolerance legacy: Sonia Gandhi

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of posing a threat to the Indian ethos of pluralism and trying to wipe out the Nehruvian legacy of tolerance.

“Modi government wa-nts to eliminate the name of Jawaharlal Nehru from all memorials so that the Nehru legacy of tolerance vanishes from the country,” Ms Sonia said at a public meeting here in an apparent reference to strong concerns voiced by several writers, filmmakers, scientists, historians and others over “growing intolerance” in the country. Attacking PM Modi for making “false” promise of “Acche Din” to the people, Ms Sonia said the masses feel cheated now as they are still waiting for good days. “The Modi government has failed to rise to the expectations of people,” she said.

She also spoke agai-nst the Centre for chan-ging the funding pattern for Uttarakhand in centrally-sponsored schemes from a ratio of 90:10 in the past to 50:50 at present saying this had dealt a blow to the state’s efforts towards welfare of women and children.

“Slashing Uttarakhand’s planning budget from a ratio of 90:10 to 50:50 has adversely affected the state government’s programmes for women emp-owerment and child welfare besides also affecting the infrastructure sector. Union government should have maintained policies of the previous government for small states like Uttarakhand which would have prospered with the Centre’s backing,” she said.