In two sharply critical speeches, a combative Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of running a government "of some people, by one person, for a select few" by "centralising" power and "weakening" the state's strength.
She also accused Modi of playing domestic politics on foreign soil by attacking his distinguished predecessor in France and sinking to a "new low" by referring to the United Progressive Alliance in "despicable terms" in Canada.
Questioning the Modi government's performance on all fronts in the nearly one year of its rule, Gandhi said minorities were being threatened while people were made to feel unsafe by "poisoning" the political discourse.
Attacking the style of the government's functioning, she said ministers "hardly matter" while "empowered" bureaucrats "feel paralysed" because all key files were pending in the PMO.
"The prime minister likes to talk of consensus. Yet ignoring convention, this government acts with obstinate arrogance," Gandhi said in her address to the Congress Parliamentary Party as the budget session of Parliament will come to an end shortly.
She also took the floor of the Lok Sabha and attacked Modi for his "blatant U-turn" on the issue of transparency, charging his government with "deliberately" keeping key posts of chief information commission, chief vigilance commission and Lok Pal vacant.
Accusing the prime minister of centralising power, she said the government "deserves credit" for "redefining democracy".
"It is no longer 'of the people, by the people, for the people' but a government of some people, by one person, for a select few.
"Behind the smokescreen of 'development' the government is providing achche din only for crony capitalists. Under the pretext of 'Make in India' the government is planning to dilute the rights and interests of workers and labourers. Do they make nothing in India?" she asked.
Gandhi said the government can be given the credit for transforming India into a land where everyday places of worship of minorities were being desecrated.
"The stream of provocative statements from members of the ruling establishment continues unabated. Incendiary remarks are often uttered even by ministers against entire communities and institutions of our democracy," she said.
Some in the Sangh Parivar, the Congress chief said, want to revoke the voting rights of a community, she said apparently referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party ally Shiv Sena's demand in this regard.
"Others want to erect statues of Godse, the man who murdered the Father of the Nation. Yes, we can give them credit for making Indians feel unsafe in India and for poisoning the political discourse of our great country," she said.
Gandhi said truly the "hypocrisy and insensitivity" of the government was "breathtaking".
The prime minister announces grandiose schemes to "grab" headlines while the finance minister denies adequate funds to them and starves critical programmes that benefit the poor and weaker sections.
"At the same time, he announces a generous bonanza for the corporate sector; tax cuts amounting to nearly Rs two lakh fifty thousand crore in the next four years.
"We do not disagree that the corporate sector must grow and enterpriser must flourish to create jobs and national wealth. But this government appears to favour a limited set of corporate interests to the exclusion of almost everyone and everything else. India's future cannot be built on such unjust foundations," she said.
Using the achche din (good days) remarks of Modi during the election campaign last year, Gandhi asked, "Let me ask what is the reality of the achche din the prime minister promised? Lower petrol prices? We all know they are because of falling international prices, over which they have no control and for which they deserve no credit."
"What do they deserve credit?" she asked and answered the question herself sarcastically, saying the government deserved credit for the most ‘anti-farmer’ legislative land acquisition bill, threatening the livelihood of millions of handloom weavers and artisans and for various other reasons.
Gandhi said, "They deserve all credit for creating the most centralised government in India's recent history.”
"Ministers hardly matter. Even the bureaucrats, who are supposedly empowered, feel paralysed because all key files are pending in the PMO for decision. The prime minister likes to talk of consensus. Yet ignoring convention, this government acts with obstinate arrogance," Gandhi said.
Citing two examples, she said the government recently imposed Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Arunachal Pradesh without as much as informing the chief minister and they were going through with the Bangladesh land agreement excluding Assam.
"Such arrogance is also apparent when forcing its way in the Parliament. Out of 51 Bills, 43 have not been sent to the standing committee," Gandhi said.
Gandhi, who raked up in the Lok Sabha the issue of keeping vacant critical appointments in the government, wondered "what is this government afraid of?”
She said those appointments in government structure, which have independent authority to question the working of the government machinery, were specially lying vacant.
"Friends, the challenge to us is very clear. We are faced with a government, which assaults everything precious that India and the Congress stands for...We must take the fight for and expose this government on its other sins of omission and commission."
Gandhi charged that such centralisation of power was "not new to Modi.”
"Gujarat has just passed a controversial anti-terror law (the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Bill) that gives draconian powers to the police. The new law puts the state government, its ministers and officials essentially beyond the purview of the legal process. Is this what the BJP government hopes to replicate in New Delhi,” she added.
"Let us remember terrorism has been effectively fought without such draconian laws. My fear is that such laws will be used to suppress the voice of the people. We are already seeing evidence of this," she said.
Gandhi said the "outrageous" remarks of the prime minister on foreign soil "belittle the dignity of the office he holds and is an embarrassment to the nation," she said.
"Such petty behaviour does not define us," she added.
In the backdrop of some recent controversies over appointments of people with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leanings in some key bodies, Gandhi charged, "Government bodies are being populated by men and women whose sole qualification appears to be loyalty to the Prime Minister or to his patron organisations."
Later, speaking in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi accused the BJP dispensation of attempting to "subvert the RTI act.”
She said citizens no longer have right to question the government as top offices like the PMO, cabinet secretariat besides the Supreme Court, high courts and the CAG are no longer accountable for violations under the RTI and protected from public scrutiny.
Gandhi had sought to bring an adjournment motion on the issue in the Lok Sabha but was only allowed to raise it after the question hour.
Image: Sonia Gandhi speaking out against the Modi government in Lok Sabha. Photograph: PTI/ Lok Sabha
