Modi govt "autocratic", says Oppn in RS

Opposition, especially the Left parties, today charged the NDA Government in Rajya Sabha with being "autocratic" as it was relying on the 'ordinance raj' and said an ordinance was being promulgated every 28 days.
Speaking on the Motion of Thanks for the President's Address, CPI(M) member P Rajeeve said the BJP-led Government was a "combination" of policies of different governments in the past.
"This Government is a combination of the autocratic Indira Gandhi Government in 1975, neo-liberal policies of the Narasimha Rao Government of 1991 and the communal policies of the BJP Government in the past," he said.
Expressing concern over growing communal incidents across the country, he said though secularism was a corner-stone for modern India, a recent government advertisement had missed even the word 'secular'.

Attacking the government on issue of ordinances, Rajeeve said on an average, an ordinance was being promulgated every 28 days since Narendra Modi Government came to power.
"The first ordinance of this government was to appoint the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister," the CPI(M) MP said as he recalled an order of the Supreme Court against the 'Ordinance Raj' way back in 1986.

On the issue of blackmoney, Rajeeve said that Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh had promised to bring back the blackmoney stashed abroad within 100 days of coming to power.
"People want to know about Rs 15 lakh, which was assured to be deposited in their bank accounts with in 100 days of the Government coming to power, by retrieving the blackmoney from abroad," he said.

CPI member D Raja said the rich variety of cultural and social ideologies of India was being undermined by fundamentalist forces.
He also asked the government to clarify its stand on the alleged war crimes against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
AIADMK member V Maitreyan also expressed his concern over absence of any mention of the attacks on fishermen from Tamil Nadu allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy in the President's Address.
Government must take steps for expeditious release of fishermen arrested and their boats seized by the Lankan navy.