Environment of fear prevailing in country: Kapil Sibal

Asserting that an environment of fear is prevailing in the country, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday said whenever someone speaks against Prime Minister Narendra or his government he or she is labelled as anti-national.

Speaking at an interactive session organised by All India Professional Congress (AIPC), a unit of Indian National Congress (INC) here Sibal said, "Which mind is without fear today? Some businessmen came to me saying that things are not good. Why it's happening because there is fear that anything can happen anytime. That's the kind of environment we are living in. If you say anything against RSS, the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Government, you are anti-national."

Sibal also alleged that Governors are helping Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in order to install their government in different states while expressing hope that Congress would get a chance to "set things right in 2019." "Heart of the problem is that BJP and RSS have taken over the government. When we were in power there was a difference in the party but now the government is the party. If you appoint governor they must be RSS people and same applies for the Vice Chancellors. Governors are helping the party to install BJP government in the states. I hope in 2019 we have a chance to set things right."

Earlier in the day, the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, had also launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Modi by calling him a "polarising master" who is capable of spinning any issue into a religious one.