Hyderabad: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday lashed out at the Narendra Modi-led government saying that the grand-old party strongly condemns the Centre's attempts to stifle opposition in the Parliament and curtail public scrutiny in the Parliament.
"Today 27 INDIA parties stand together on fundamental issues of importance. After three successful meetings, the INDIA alliance is forging ahead to combat the anti-people and anti-democratic BJP government. Perturbed at this development, the BJP government is resorting to vindictive action against Opposition parties," Kharge said during his opening remarks at the Congress Working Committee meeting, which is underway here.
Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, "The Congress also re-emphasises its commitment to protect the Constitution of India, the country’s democracy, and the rights of the marginalized communities. Being the main Opposition party of India, it is our responsibility to be the voice of the people. The forthcoming Special Session of Parliament raises concerns about the ruling party's intentions."
The veteran Congress leader also noted that his party has been playing a pivotal role as the principal opposition party at the Centre for the past nine-and-half years with a committed determination to redress the concerns and grievances of the common people.
"The country is at a crossroads today facing many internal challenges. The (Narendra) Modi government has been a complete failure on all important fronts- in controlling inflation, unemployment, raging violence in Manipur, widening inequality and declining condition of farmers and labourers," he added.
The Congress leader from Karnataka also alleged that slogans like 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', 'five trillion economy', 'New India 2022', 'Amritkaal' and 'Third largest economy' are merely hollow words meant to distract the nation from the government’s failures.
According to Kharge, the entire nation is witnessing the tragic events still unfolding in Manipur. "Modi government allowed the fire of Manipur to reach Nuh in Haryana," he charged.
"These incidents tarnish the image of modern, progressive, and secular India," he added.
The Congress chief also spoke on the condition of the Indian economy and said that it was in "grave danger". "Inflation and rise in prices of all essential commodities have adversely affected the lives of the poor and common people. To add to the sorrows, a young country like ours is facing the grave challenge of record unemployment. The inequality gap is continuously deepening. On top of this, the Modi government is handing over the prized PSUs of the country built since independence to a few crony capitalist friends," he alleged.
"There is also an urgent need to provide relief to the people affected by natural calamities like floods and droughts. On the national security front, the government’s alleged negligence regarding China’s encroachments poses a critical danger to the country’s security. However, ignoring all these fundamental issues, the Modi government has this tendency to repeatedly deflect and divert attention from real issues with empty slogans," he added.
Kharge signed off by saying that he would speak in detail on the organizational issues surrounding the upcoming Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on Sunday in the Extended CWC meeting.
The meeting is being attended by top Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, AK Antony, Ambika Soni, and Rajeev Shukla among others.
