Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi said on Tuesday that with the Narendra Modi government bent on “misusing every power” and elections in several key states approaching, her party will take its message directly to the people and join forces with all like-minded parties to defend the Constitution. Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Modi and his government of “systematically dismantling” the legislature, executive, and judiciary in an Op-Ed in “The Hindu,” saying their actions demonstrate a “deep-rooted disdain” for democracy.
She also claimed that the prime minister “ignores” the rising tide of hatred and violence, fueled by BJP and RSS leaders, and has not once called for peace or harmony, let alone taken action to bring offenders to justice. “Religious festivals appear to have devolved into occasions for intimidation and bullying of others, as opposed to occasions for joy and celebration. Instead, people are intimidated and discriminated against solely because of their religion, food, caste, gender, or language “Gandhi stated.
She launched a scathing attack on Modi, claiming that his statements either ignore the most pressing issues of the day or are “platitudes and verbal gymnastics” to divert attention away from them.
Despite the prime minister’s best efforts, the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson stated that the people of the country cannot and will not be silenced. She said the country is at a crossroads, with the Modi government bent on “misusing every power” and elections approaching in several key states, emphasising that the next few months will be a crucial test of India’s democracy.
“The Congress party will make every effort to take its message directly to the people, as it did in the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Gandhi declared, “and will join hands with all like-minded parties to defend the Constitution of India and its ideals.” She stated that the Congress’ battle is to protect the voice of the people, and that it recognises its solemn duty as the main opposition party.
The former Congress chief added that her party is willing to collaborate with all other political parties to achieve this goal.
According to her Op-Ed, the people of India have learned that when it comes to understanding the current situation, the prime minister’s actions speak far louder than his words. “In recent months, we have seen the prime minister and his government systematically dismantling all three pillars of India’s democracy — the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary — with their actions demonstrating a deep disdain for democracy and democratic accountability,” Gandhi charged.
She claimed that the last session of Parliament saw a government-led strategy to disrupt parliamentary proceedings and prevent the Opposition from raising issues of grave concern before the country and its people, such as unemployment, inflation, and social divisions, as well as discussing the budget and the “Adani scam,” among other vital issues. Gandhi also claimed that the prime minister makes grandiose statements about truth and justice while allegations of financial fraud against his “chosen businessman” are ignored, Interpol withdraws a notice against fugitive Mehul Choksi, and Bilkis Bano’s convicted rapists are released and go on to share a stage with BJP leaders.
The systematic effort to undermine the credibility of the judiciary, she claimed, has reached a “crisis point,” with the Union law minister labelling some retired judges “anti-national” and warning that “they will pay a price.”
This language is purposefully chosen to mislead people, incite their passions, and thus intimidate serving judges, according to the Congress leader. She claimed that the media’s independence has long been compromised by the government’s political intimidation combined with the financial might of the BJP’s friends, and that evening debates on television news channels have devolved into shouting matches to silence those who question the Centre.
“Unsatisfied with this, the government has armed itself with legal powers by amending the Information Technology rules to remove legal protections for any news that it considers to be ‘fake news.'” The Supreme Court of India recently stated that criticism of the government is not grounds for criminal prosecution. “Is the government paying attention?” she inquired.
“There is no doubt that an army of lawyers from the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is ready.” Asserting that enforcing silence will not solve India’s problems, Gandhi stated that the prime minister is deafeningly silent on legitimate questions about his government’s actions, which affect the lives of millions.
She claimed that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not address unemployment or inflation in her budget speech, as if they did not exist.