NEW DELHI: Former Congress president and member of Parliament on Wednesday said that India has reached a dangerous place under the Modi government whose policies have led to the alienation of people and undermining of institutions on one hand, and coming together of China and Pakistan.
Speaking on the motion of thanks to the President’s address to the joint session of Parliament, Gandhi said, “The RSS and BJP are weakening the foundation of our country, they are weakening the links between our people, our languages. Today, India is weak compared to where we were a few years back."
Gandhi said the instruments of conversation between our states and our people are being attacked. "Tamil Nadu is removed from the decision making, they do not have a voice in your framework. They demand a decision on NEET, but you say no to it. Farmers of Punjab can rise against you but you say you do not have a voice… they can sit on dharna for one year, but you say you can die but we won’t listen to you.”
He said that there are two competing visions of India – one is a union of languages, states, culture, it is a bouquet of flowers, the other is the idea of a king, a shahenshah, a ruler. This is the idea that the Congress had removed, he claimed.
“We had smashed it. But now the king is back, centralising all the power. What is happening as a result of following this flawed vision is that it has alienated people. This confused understanding of the nation of India is playing havoc with our country. I advise you to stop. It is very dangerous. It shows a complete lack of understanding about India. Look at our history, India has always been a union of states, and you are destroying it."
"What we are witnessing today is a fight between two competing visions of India. A tussle between the idea of the union of states versus an idea of a king. This is our fundamental difference with them,” he said and added that India cannot be ruled by a stick from the centre. “You have no idea of history. Every time stick was used, it was broken,” he added.
"The judiciary, the election commission, all institutions are compromised. Pegasus (snooping malware) is being deployed. When the Prime Minister personally goes to Israel and comes back and deploys Pegasus on the people of India, it is sure to destroy the country,” Gandhi added.
He said this attack on an institutional framework will get a response from the country, from the states of the nation.
Gandhi said the present government has created two Indias – one of the rich and the other of the poor, and the gap between the two is increasing. He said the country witnessed how the youth of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar struggled to get jobs recently.
"But they did not get jobs. The poor youth of the country do not have jobs. But the President’s address did not have a single word about jobs. All over the country youth is looking for jobs. And your government is not able to give jobs. But nobody is talking about jobs," the former Congress president claimed.
Pointing that in 2021, three crore jobs were lost, he said, "The country today has the highest joblessness in the last 50 years. The government has not been able to give jobs. In fact, the jobs that were there have been lost. That’s why no one in the government talks of jobs now."
"How did this situation come about? Jobs are created in the small and medium sectors and the informal sector and unorganised sector. But these sectors have been dealt with one blow after another through decisions such as demonetisation, wrong implementation of GST and lack of support during corona," he said.
"As a result, 80 per cent of the Indians saw a dip in their income. Under the UPA government, 27 crore people were lifted out of poverty in 10 years. But this government has pushed 23 crore back in poverty in the last seven years," claimed Rahul Gandhi.
"In formal sector monopolies are being created. And it is spreading in all sectors. One person has been given all the ports of India, all airports, power companies, transmission, mining, green energy, and then there is another person who has a monopoly on petrochem, telecom, retail and e-commerce. Entire money going in the hands of selected people. You have killed unorganised sector, all small and medium industries are shut," he said.
“If you had helped them the manufacturing sector would have survived. But you keep talking about Make in India, but it is not possible. It is not possible because Make in India could have been brought about only by small and medium industry which you have destroyed,” he said and added that in last five years, there has been 46 per cent drop in manufacturing jobs.
“I have no problem with big businesses. But let me tell you they cannot create jobs. Jobs can only be created by small and medium industry,” Gandhi pointed. He said poor India is watching that India’s 100 top richest have more wealth more than 55 per cent of the people. Ten per cent of the people have more than 40 per cent of India’s wealth.
“This is your new India. All the wealth is accumulated in the hands of 2-3 people. Just because they market you on TV and Whatsapp,” questioned the 51-year-old leader.
Gandhi said that India has weakened under Modi both internally and externally. He said this government’s wrong policies have brought China and Pakistan together and converted two fronts into one front for India and this, he said, was a very dangerous situation.
He said, “The Chinese have a clear vision of what they want to do, and the single biggest strategic goal of Indian foreign policy is to keep Pakistan and China separate. But what you have done is that you have brought them together. Do not underestimate the power and force that stands in front of us.”
He said India today is completely isolated and surrounded. “Why were you not able to get a guest for Republic Day. India today is completely isolated and surrounded and our opponents understand our position. We have been weakened. This is your single biggest crime that you can commit against the people of India,” he said.