Exercise more democracy, learn to speak truth: Congress asks BJP to adopt seven New Year resolutions
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at the ruling BJP, asking it to adopt seven New Year resolutions such as exercising more democratic principles, losing the weight of patriarchy and learning the skill of telling the truth.
It also suggested that the BJP should embrace resolutions of live life to the fullest and let others do the same, spend less money on advertising, read more of the Constitution and spend more time in India, an apparent jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has been often targeted by the opposition party for his foreign visits.
"Most people are usually unable to stick to their resolutions, but we implore the BJP to adhere to the above promises for a better and more democratic way of governance," the Congress said in an article "BJP's New Year Resolutions" on its website.
Sharing the article on Twitter, it posted,"Top 7 New Year's Resolutions the BJP should make immediately."
The New Year brings in promises that all make to better their lives as well as of those around them, the Congress said.
"So, our New Year gift to the ruling party is to help them with their resolutions. We have taken some of the most popular resolutions that people make and have given them a little bit of a twist in order to ensure the best possible outcome for you all," it said.
The article said the first resolution of exercising more democratic principles is the need of the hour for the BJP and must be given utmost priority.
"From imposing (CrPC) Section 144 in major cities to the undemocratic scrapping of Article 370 and especially the extreme force used against peaceful protestors recently; with the talks of Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) to that of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the BJP has proven democratic practices hold little value for them.
"Hence, such a resolution is not only apt, but much needed," the Congress said.
The resolution about losing the weight of patriarchy targets the BJP's narrative that is evident from the "infamous" Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath opposing the Women's Reservation Bill, which the party has not yet implemented, the Congress alleged.
Prime Minister Modi, who is known for his social media presence, follows 1,779 people, and among them are people who post sexist tweets, personal attacks, abuses and rumours aimed at women, especially women journalists, it alleged.
"Not surprisingly, the BJP has MPs and MLAs who have a history of crimes against women, more than any other political party in the country.
Moreover, the crimes against women have increased by 9 per cent under their rule," the Congress said.
The resolution, "we wish that the BJP would stick to is quite obvious - honesty is the best policy", it said.
"We have seen many lies spew out of their mouths, from the denial of the presence of detention centres to the fact that they have never uttered the letters N-R-C," the Congress said.
"Recently we have seen the inconsistency in the narrative of (Home Minister) Amit Shah as well as Narendra Modi with the former announcing in Parliament that the NRC is inevitable and the latter denying any talks about it at all."
"They're trapping themselves in a web of lies, so we're certain that this resolution will serve them well," it said.
The Congress also accused the ruling government of not liking anybody voicing their dissent towards them, even if it is in a peaceful and democratic manner.
"Anything that may cause them even the slightest inconvenience must be cracked down upon hard.
The unlawful detainments, the entry of police in educational institutions, the firing of pellet guns on peaceful protestors or the arrest of journalists who relay the facts and tell the truth, are just a few examples," it said.
Taking a jibe at the prime minister, the Congress said "Narendra Modi has travelled to 92 countries in 55 months which cost him more than Rs 2,021 crore. In 2020, he should consider spending more time working to achieve his many tall promises & less on foreign trips and campaigning."
The opposition party also took a swipe at the BJP leadership for spending on advertisements, alleging that the BJP is the single largest spender on advertisements by spending around Rs 17 crore, which is 500 per cent more than what the Congress did.
It is no secret that the BJP has a "blatant disdain" towards the Constitution, it often comes across as if they have never read it, the Congress alleged.
This can be seen "in their CAA which violates Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, the undemocratic abrogation of Article 370 or the crackdown on journalists and peaceful protestors which is a blatant attack on free expression and freedom of the press", the Congress said in the article.