Democracy passing through darkest hours under Modi regime: Rahul Gandhi

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday lashed out at the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of being "obsesses with power" and said that democracy under the present dispensation was passing through one of its "darkest hours".

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet here, Gandhi also said that TV channels were "being punished", referring to the one-day ban on NDTV India and an Assamese channel. He questioned the government's Pakistan policy, saying it was swinging "from one extreme to another" while dealing with Islamabad.

"The Modi government is obsessed with power, it seeks to silence all those who disagree. Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and asked to shut down," said Gandhi.

"The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account," said Gandhi who presided over the CWC meet after party President Sonia Gandhi reported unwell.

"Democracy under the present dispensation is going through one of its darkest hours. All attempts by this government to suppress our fundamental freedoms by abusing state power will only strengthen our resolve to defeat such dangerous designs," he said.

Flaying the Modi government's policy towards Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul Gandhi said that soldiers were suffering the highest casualties in decades.

"They (soldiers) are being cruelly 'rewarded' by a callous government with denial of OROP (One Rank One Pension), and cut in disabilities pensions," said Rahul Gandhi, who in October had written to Modi saying the decisions taken by the government in the past few weeks had adversely affected the morale of the armed forces and caused them "pain and hurt."

Calling for "exposing" the Modi government in the upcoming Parliament session, Gandhi said: "Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers."

He also said that atrocities against Dalits go unabated and rights of the tribals continue to be "trampled upon".

Gandhi said that export in the last 20 months have registered negative growth and farmer suicides and agrarian unrest have increased to "astonishing levels".

"The government is trying to hide its failures behind numbers that have been widely doubted and questioned," said the Congress leader, alleging that "selectively chosen corporates" were being favoured and not the common man.

"We have successfully exposed their anti-poor agenda and broken promises. We must continue to struggle to expose the comprehensive failure of the Modi government on all fronts," added Gandhi.

--IANS

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