Sonia Gandhi slams PM Modi for 'dismantling pillars of democracy'

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government in an editorial she penned for The Hindu. In her piece, Gandhi said that PM Modi and the central government have "systematically dismantled all three pillars of democracy" over the past few months, citing incidents that disrupted this year's Budget session proceedings in Parliament.

The former president of Congress also touched upon Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a Lok Sabha member and claimed the Centre wanted to "prevent the opposition from raising issues" like "unemployment, inflation, and social divisions, discussing the year's Budget and the Adani scam." "As a result, the Budget of 45 lakh crore of rupees of people's money was passed without any debate," Gandhi wrote.

Repeating the opposition's allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was misusing central investigative agencies, Gandhi claimed that "over 95% of political cases (are) filed only against opposition parties," while cases against those who join the BJP were "miraculously evaporating." Notably, 14 opposition parties reached the Supreme Court in March, claiming that the Centre was "misusing" probe agencies to frame their leaders.

Gandhi also attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in her editorial, claiming that it was "egging on" hatred and violence, while PM Modi "not once called for peace or harmony or acted to reign in offenders." Her statement came after many states witnessed communal violence during Ram Navami celebrations. She also slammed the government for allegedly blocking "Chinese infiltration" issues during Parliament discussions.