New Delhi Congress on Saturday termed first year of Narendra Modi government’s second term as ‘a year of disappointment, disastrous management and diabolical pain.
”Over the last six years, India witnessed a steady increase in the politics of distraction and false noise,” the party added.
Addressing reporters via video conferencing Congress organisational general secretary KC Venugopal and party communication in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said at the start of the seventh year, India stands at the crossroads.
“Its citizens exhausted by the weight of this government’s sins, ineptitude and callous insensitivity to the widespread suffering. Over the last six years, the country witnessed a steady increase in the politics of distraction and false noise, to the point that it has become a defining mainstay of Modi government’s administrative style”, the leaders said.
Earlier, in a letter to nation, the Prime Minister had said, “In a crisis of this magnitude, it can certainly not be claimed that no one suffered any inconvenience or discomfort” and need to “take care to ensure that inconvenience that we are facing do not turn into disastrous”.
The Congress, however, said that Modi government, “while it served the political interests of the BJP, it came at an unprecedented economic and social cost to the nation.”.
“Prime Minister Modi would do well to remember extraordinary promises beget extraordinary expectations. But as we shall see, even the most ordinary and mundane expectations of keeping a country running were beyond the capabilities of this government which promised ‘so much’ and delivered ‘so very little’,” they charged.
The Congress also claimed that they are ‘revealing’ the ‘six myths’ at the time of the completion of six years of Modi government.
Terming myth one ‘vikas vs reality of voodoo modinomics’, the grand-old-party said that the Prime Minister sold his brand of administration in one word- ‘vikas’.
”He coined the catchphrase ’60 years vs 60 months’ to deliver this fabled ‘vikas’. The year ‘2020’ became the milestone for the realisation of all promises. And what does the government have to show for it? Modi came to power promising 2 crore jobs a year. But India witnessed the highest unemployment rate in the last 45 years reached in 2017-18”, they said.
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”Under the Modi government, GDP has become synonymous with ‘Grossly Declining Performance’: Lowest GDP growth since Independence”, it added.
Describing myth two as “Sabka saath, sabka vikas’ vs ‘mitron ka saath, bhajpa ka vikas,” Mr Venugopal and Surjewala said, six years of Modi government have proven that it prioritises the ‘haves’ over the ‘have-nots’.”The rich have gotten richer while the poor, needy and vulnerable have been abandoned. India now has the ‘highest income inequality’ in 73 years”, it added.
Stating there is myth three that ‘pradhan sewak vs autocratic emperor’, the Congress leaders alleged the Prime Minister advertises his austerity and humble roots, but six years of his government have demonstrated a shocking lack of concern for the woes of the common man and worse still, demonstrates zero sense of accountability to the people.
“The worst humanitarian crisis witnessed by India in recent memory, that of the migrants, was a direct result of apathy and a failure of leadership,” they said and added, “zero press conferences by the Prime Minister over the last 6 years. There is no pretense of even attempting to be accountable to the public. Propaganda and false statistics have replaced press conferences.”
“Doubling farm income vs decimating farm economy was the fourth myth”, said the Congress leaders, adding that six years of Modi government is an unending tale of betrayal of the ‘Andata’ i.e. the farmers.
“Modi government promised cost plus 50 per cent profit as MSP and doubling of farm income. Never once in 6 years did the government fix MSP at cost plus 50 per cent as promised in their manifesto, based on ‘C2’ formula. On the contrary farmers have suffered a loss of Rs 50,000 crores in Rabi 2020 season alone”, they alleged.
Taking on Modi government’s slogan, the Congress said there is a fifth myth that was ‘acche din vs sacche din’.
“Never before has a government been so at odds with itself and its own people. India was the beacon of democracy in the region but now under the Modi government, we risk becoming a cautionary tale”, they said and added “six years of Modi government has seen the fraying of the bonds of empathy, fraternity and brotherhood with a massive increase in acts of communal and sectarian violence”.
Stating that the sixth myth was ‘strong leadership vs incoherent decision making’, the Congress said in the last six years, national interest has been constantly compromised and sacrificed at the altar of political self-interest.
“Six Years of Modi government witnessed a sharp increase in martyrdom of our jawans by nearly 110 per cent.
Key defence establishments including the Uri Army Brigade HQ, Pathankot Airbase and Nagrota Army Base, Amarnath Yatra among others were repeatedly attacked by Pak-trained terrorists as a clueless government looked on. Forty CRPF jawans gave the ultimate sacrifice in Pulwama”, it added.
Mr Venugopal and Mr Surjewala said at the end of six long years, it appears that the Modi government is at war with its people, inflicting wounds instead of healing them.
(Agencies)