Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday launched a blistering attack on the government's economic policies and said signing the RCEP agreement will deal a "body blow" to the economy, resulting in "untold hardship" for farmers, shopkeepers and small enterprises.
She also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being too busy "managing headlines and events", instead of acknowledging the "severe slowdown" and looking for a comprehensive resolution.
Addressing a meeting of general secretaries, heads of frontal organisations and senior leaders at the AICC headquarters here, Gandhi said as a citizen and as a member of a responsible opposition, it pains her to see the Indian economy under siege.
"What is even more worrying is that the government is in complete denial. Instead of acknowledging the severe slowdown and looking for a comprehensive resolution, Prime Minister Modi is too busy managing headlines and events," the Congress chief said.
She claimed that the "cavalier attitude" comes at a price, "a price that millions of our fellow Indian, especially the unemployed youth and farmers and fellow Indians are having to endure".
"As economic decisions have not damaged the economy enough, it is now ready to deal a body blow to it by signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement - the regional free trade agreement of 16 Asian countries," Gandhi said.
This will result in untold hardship for farmers, shopkeepers, and small and medium enterprises, she claimed.
Her remarks come as negotiations to finalise the long-overdue RCEP enters the final stages. All eyes are on India whether it will finally take the plunge and agrees to the world's largest trading deal spanning 16-Asia Pacific nations.
In her address, Gandhi also said "The latest shocking revelation is that through the Israeli Pegasus software, acquired by the Modi government, snooping and spying activities on activists, journalists and political persons have taken place."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content