Congress to step up attack on Modi Govt

With elections in three BJP-ruled States later this year and the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday decided to increase its offensive against the Modi Government on the issues of corruption, unemployment, NRC draft list and the bad state of economy.

The party decided to go all out in highlighting the issue of corruption both inside and outside Parliament. And this it would do by launching a public campaign that will highlight the bank scams and the controversial Rafale deal, which the party feels was entered into to favour an industrial house.

The decision was taken at the CWC meeting chaired by party chief Rahul Gandhi. Party leaders including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chalked out a strategy on the crucial issue of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC). While top party leaders including AK Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel and Ashok Gehlot were present, former party president Sonia Gandhi was unable to attend the meeting.

“The CWC met today. As a team, we discussed the political situation in the country and the huge opportunity for the Congress to highlight issues of corruption and failure of the Government to provide jobs to our youth. Thank you to all those who attended today’s meeting,” Rahul took to Twitter sharing briefly the CWC strategy.

This was the second meeting of the newly-constituted CWC under Rahul’s leadership. He said the newly constituted CWC should meet once every month as the party is gearing to take up the Modi juggernaut on many occasions during the next few months.

Briefing about the CWC, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the party will launch a public campaign or “Jan Andolan”, details of which will be chalked out in the coming days in consultation with State units and leaders.

Surjewala said that Congress president and CWC expressed deep concern on the state of joblessness. CWC noted that Modi-made disaster of demonetisation as also an ill-implemented GST have led to severe job losses. “So much so that Government is shying away from releasing the Labour Bureau Survey figures for December, 2017. As Prime Minister’s promise of creating two crore jobs a year fails, it is regrettable that he exhorts the youth to sell ‘pakoras’ and ‘pans’ instead of creating real jobs,” the CWC reportedly discussed.  The CWC also noted with concern the severe agrarian distress, which has become a hallmark of Modi Government.

The Congress has alleged that it had “exposed the complicity and connivance” of the Modi Government in the escape of the fugitive billionaire. Vijay Mallya. And the party intends to corner the Government on media reports which quoted Antiguan authorities as saying that Indian agencies had no adverse information against diamantaire Mehul Choksi when the Caribbean country conducted a background check on the PNB scam accused before granting him citizenship in 2017.

On the Rafale deal, Surjewala said neither the Prime Minister nor the Defence Minister are disclosing the price of the jets purchased by this Government and claimed that the price fixed during UPA was Rs 526 crore against Rs 1,676 crore for the jets purchased under NDA, that has caused a loss of Rs 48,000 crore to the exchequer.

Taking a cautious stand on the NRC exercise in Assam, Surjewala said after the meeting that the NRC was “Congress’ baby” and was initiated as a consequence of the Assam accord signed by late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 and the party will ensure that no Indian citizen is left out of it.

“The NRC is a baby of the Congress party and it will ensure that no Indian citizens is deprived of his legitimate right,” said Surjewala joined by AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot at the media briefing.

The duo pointed out figures claiming that while the Congress-led UPA Government from 2005 to 2013 had deported 82,728 foreigners (Bangladeshis), the NDA Government has deported only 1,822 foreign nationals in the last four years. He was citing figures shared by the Modi Government in Parliament.