“Government’s deep-rooted disdain for democracy disturbing”: Sonia Gandhi pens column

New Delhi: Lashing out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a column for a prominent English daily, said that the former was blaming past leaders for today’s ills, ignores the most pressing and vital issues of the day.

Sonia further wrote that the government’s deep-rooted disdain for democracy and democratic accountability was disturbing.
“The people of India have learnt that when it comes to understanding today’s situation, Prime Minister Narendra Moth’s actions speak far louder than his words. His statements — when he is not venting anger on the Opposition or blaming past leaders for today’s ills — either ignore the most pressing, vital issues of the day, or are platitudes and verbal gymnastics to gloss over or distract from these issues. His actions, on the other hand, leave little to the imagination on the government’s true intentions,” Sonia stated in her piece.

She claimed he is silent on legitimate questions about his government’s actions affecting millions’ lives.

“Enforcing silence cannot solve India’s problems. The Prime Minister is silent on legitimate questions on his government’s actions which affect the lives of millions. After failing on his promise to double the income of farmers by 2022, the Prime Minister has conveniently fallen silent. But their problems of rising costs and unremunerative prices for their crops remain here and now,” her column read.

The former Congress president also accused PM Modi of dismantling all three pillars of democracy.

Invoking the logjam in the Parliament, she said it was a ploy to prevent the Opposition from raising issues of grave concern to the country and its people.

“Over the past months, we have witnessed 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-rooted disdain for democracy and democratic accountability. Consider first recent goings-on in Parliament. In the last session, we saw a government-led strategy to disrupt Parliament and prevent the Opposition from raising issues of grave concern to the country and its people, such as unemployment, inflation and social divisions, and discussing the year’s Budget and the Adani scam among other vital issues,” Sonia wrote.

“The systematic effort to undermine the credibility of the judiciary has reached crisis point, with the Union Law Minister calling some retired judges “anti-national”, and warning that “they win pay a price”. This language is deliberately chosen to misguide people, inflame their passions, and thereby intimidate serving judges,” she added.

Sonia further said that the Congress is determined to continue its fight to safeguard the voice of the people.

“The Congress party will make every effort to take its message directly to the people, as it did in the Bharatiodo Yatra, and will join hands with all like-minded parties to defend the Constitution of India and its ideals. Ours is a fight to safeguard the voice of the people. The Congress party understands its solemn duty as the principal Opposition party and stands ready to work with all like-minded parties to fulfil it,” her column read. (ANI)