Sonia calls Modi’s vows ‘dramebazi’
UPA chief says Prime Minister’s prepoll promises were a trick to ‘grab power’; Rahul says India is ‘fatigued’ under NDA govt
NEW DELHI: United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, stating that his pre-poll promises of development for all and corruption-free governance were “only dramebazi (theatrics)” and “a trick to grab power”.
Modi and the BJP came under a severe attack from all the Congress speakers on the opening day of the grand-old party’s 84th plenary session. The meeting’s agenda was set by Congress president Rahul Gandhi with his opening remarks that the country was “fatigued” under the Modi government and was looking for a way out.
During her 16-minute speech in Hindi, 71-year-old Sonia was unsparing on the Prime Minister and the National Democratic Alliance(NDA) government. “The slogans of ‘sab ka saath, sab ka vikas’ and ‘na khaoonga, na khaane doonga’ are only and only dramebazi and a trick to grab power,” she said amid loud applause from the gathering.
She also accused the Modi government of trying to destroy the Congress in its nearly fouryear rule.
“In the last four years, the arrogant and drunk-with-power Modi government has left no stone unturned to destroy the Congress. There is open play of allurement, money, repression and division (‘saam, daam, dand, bhed’) but the Congress has never succumbed to the arrogance of power and will never bow to it in the future,” she said.
The former Congress chief called upon party workers to be ready for any kind of sacrifice to strengthen the party and to make the county free from “discrimination, vendetta politics and arrogance”.
She asked them to fight against the challenges posed by the BJP government and launch a struggle to free the country from the “fear of power”.
For his part, Rahul accused the Modi government of “dividing” the country by “spreading hatred and anger”. He also accused the government of failing to create jobs and address the agrarian crisis.
In his five-minute inaugural address in Hindi, Rahul also assured the party’s old guard that he will take senior and young leaders along in his quest to strengthen the Congress. “The tradition in the Congress is to embrace change without forgetting its past and legacy. If the youth will take the Congress forward, the party will not move forward without the experienced leaders. My task is to unite the seniors and youth, to give a new direction to party,” he said.
Taking a jibe at the NDA government, the 47-year-old Congress chief said crores of youngsters did not know where the jobs for them would come from and the farmers also did not know when they would get fair price for their produce.
“So the country in a way is fatigued and is looking for a way out. And I am saying this from the bottom of my heart that only the Congress can show the path forward,” he said and added “What is the difference between the Congress and the ruling party? The one big difference is they spread anger and hatred, we spread love and brotherhood”.
The BJP dismissed Congress’ charges as “mere political rhetoric” that the people “had rejected repeatedly”. “Both mother and son have been making the same baseless allegations since 2014. People have rejected them and brought the BJP to power in state after state, while the Congress has become politically extinct,” party spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.