RAE BARELI/NEW DELHI, Sep 1: Sonia Gandhi today led the Congress attack against Narendra Modi Government and flagged the issue of price rise as her party slammed both the Prime Minister and BJP for “rise in communal tension” as NDA completes 100 days in power.
“People will give a reply to whether prices (of essential commodities) have gone down or not,” the Congress President told reporters in Rae Bareli, when asked about 100 days of Modi government.
She is on a two-day visit to her Lok Sabha constituency.
Accusing the Government of “causing rise in communal tension” in its first 100 days in office, Congress leader Manish Tewari in Delhi questioned the “silence” of the Prime Minister and accused it of encouraging organisations fanning it.
Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi spoke of a “consistent hiatus” in the over last 100 days in the “preaching and practice” of the Prime Minister and the Government.
“Modi’s eloquence and oratory, his using fine words of communal harmony and peace from the ramparts of the Red Fort and then maintaining a complete silence when Ashok Singhal (VHP) chief, Mohan Bhagwat (RSS chief) and Adityanath (BJP Uttar Pradesh chief) and Giriraj Singh (BJP MP from Bihar) do something else,” he said.
Attacking the Government over the Prime Minister’s planned interaction with students on the Teachers’ Day, Singhvi said “are we allowed to make virtual propaganda?
“Has the Government ever used Government machinery to influence impressionable minds with political or partially political agenda?…It’s an issue of misuse of state machinery for self-propaganda.”
The Congress spokesperson said he does not think that any Prime Minister or President has “by a dictat” said students from class one must stand, sit and listen him.
“Thank God, they have spared the studens from K G,” Singhvi said dismissively.
Modi is to give a pep-talk to about 1,000 selected students at the Manekshaw Auditorium here on September 5, which will be beamed live to over 18 lakh Government and private schools in the country through Doordarshan and education channels.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said Modi had proved that he will provide “minimum governance and maximum Government”.
“He (Modi) has really concentrated all the powers within the PMO and also created a scare among his ministers,” he claimed alleging the ministers have been denied even the power to appoint their own clerks, officers and OSDs.
“He has been sort of able to disempower the cabinet and empower himself. This is the first style of management of Modi…I do not know whether he has learnt it from Japan or not,” Singh said.
The Prime Minister is on a five-day visit to Japan from Saturday.
Singh said Modi has “practically re-named all UPA Government’s schemes”. (PTI)
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