Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday told a Congress Parliamentary Party general body meeting that the Modi government has mistaken its parliamentary majority for a “licence to impose its narr
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday told a Congress Parliamentary Party general body meeting that the Modi government has mistaken its parliamentary majority for a “licence to impose its narrow ideology on our people”. She said the BJP seems to have forgotten that a parliamentary majority can never be a reason to abandon the principles and practice of constitutionalism.
On the recent events in the Kashmir Valley, she said, “We must introspect and ask ourselves what has driven scores of young people to such levels of anger and protest, even violence. Can we say in all honesty that we have responded with sincerity to their pleas They are our people, we cannot forsake them.” While borders cannot be redrawn, much can and must be done within the framework of our Constitution, she said.
She said job creation has not only been at its lowest in six years but retrenchment of industrial workers and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in the export manufacturing sector have added to the misery of the youth and the poor. While the Modi government is defying labour unions and reducing the security of their savings, its hollow claims on inflation have been exposed by the RBI governor, she said.
Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy, the Congress chief said, “How does the Modi government explain the incoherence of its foreign policy despite the PM’s frequent travels abroad, his equally frequent embraces of world leaders and impromptu birthday calls Its policy towards Pakistan oscillates between one extreme to the other. Relations with Nepal are at an all-time low, its ill-prepared policy on the NSG membership has exposed us to a snub. The government seems to be changing our country’s stand on security and defence, departing radically from policies that have stood the test of time.” Mrs Gandhi added, “The opaqueness of the Modi government in decision-making and brazen promotion of cronyism has cast a dark shadow on its integrity.”
The Congress president also accused the government of practising deception, saying they are creating a “bubble” of achievement. “There is constant confrontation with the judiciary, civil society and student organisations, and debate is being stifled,” she said.
