Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the "idea of kingdom is back" where the "king" does not listen to people but help his industrialist friends, create "two Indias" and put the country at peril by making strategic mistakes on China and Pakistan.
Participating in the discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address as the opening speaker from the Opposition, he also accused the government of using the judiciary, the Election Commission and Pegasus (controversial Israeli spyware) for "destroying the voice of the union of States".
He said the standing of India has taken a beating and the government should ask itself why it is “not able to get a guest on the Republic Day”. "India today is completely isolated and surrounded,” he said.
Emphasising that the RSS and BJP are “destroying” institutions, Rahul targeted the government on unemployment, troubles faced by the small and medium sector and widening divide between the poor and rich. He warned that there would be an implosion if a dialogue is not initiated and all are taken on board.
The Congress leader anchored his speech on his pet theme "two Indias" where one set is the "extremely rich people with immense wealth, immense power, those who don't need a job, those who don't need water connection, electricity connections but control the heartbeat of the country”.
"Poor people can see India's richest 100 have more wealth than 55 crore people. The Prime Minister should start uniting these two Indias at the earliest. You are giving everything to a few people who do your marketing, put you on TV, Facebook and WhatsApp," he said.
Accusing the government of destroying the small and medium industries and unorganised sector through "demonetisation, wrong GST and refusal to give support during Covid-19", he alleged that the Modi government pushed 23 crore people back to poverty, while the previous UPA regime had managed to pull 27 crore out of poverty.
"The formal sector is witnessing the birth of monopolies. Like Covid-19 has variants, they are spreading across the whole economy. One is getting all ports, airports, power transmission, green energy, gas distribution and edible oil. You are seeing Adani everywhere. Another Ambani monopoly has petrochemicals, telecom, retail. The whole money is going to select people. The unorganised sector has been finished," he said.
Rahul spoke about the rising tension between states and the Centre and said, "a centralisation is happening. The idea of a king has come back which the Congress removed in 1947. We had smashed it. Now there is a 'Shehanshah', a ruler of rulers, master of masters."
"Today the idea of Tamil Nadu is excluded from the Indian institutions. They say NEET, NEET, NEET. You say no. They don't have a voice. Punjab farmers sit on a dharna for a year but they don't have a voice. Only the king has a voice but the king doesn't listen," he said.
He said the Modi government’s biggest strategic mistake is allowing a situation where Pakistan and China came together against India.
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