Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said democracy was in danger as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had undermined constitutional institutions while the former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi accused the Modi government of betraying the people’s mandate by failing to delivering on its promises.
Addressing the Jan Akrosh rally in Delhi, Mr. Singh said, “To prevent the no-confidence motion of the Opposition, the government used every resource. It is clear from this that if the Parliament does not function, it can pose a danger to democracy in the country. Democracy is a gift of the India’s Constitution and we should all strive to strengthen it.” Dr Singh said while addressing the Jan Akrosh (People’s Anger) rally.
Growing anger
The former Prime minister said though the Modi government had made tall promises before 2014, it has failed to deliver on most counts and that the time has now come to seek accountability from the government.
Mr. Singh claimed that anger and pessimism were on the rise as attacks on Dalits increased, women safety was threatened, employment opportunities vanished and oil prices soared even when international prices were falling.
Bringing up the impact of the Nirav Modi-Mehul Choksi banking fraud, Mr. Singh said, “This is affecting the health of our banks.”
‘Serious judicial crisis’
In her speech, former Congress president said the government has left no stone unturned in undermining institutions, targeting political rivals and claimed that the judiciary is in the grip of a “serious crisis.”
“The government takes Parliamentary majority as a license to do whatever it likes. They think it is their right to crush any dissent. The democratic institutions were nurtured over 60 to 65 years. But ever since this government has come to power, it has left no stone unturned in weakening them,” said Ms. Gandhi.
“The Congress leadership that fought for freedom envisioned a new India founded on values of truth, love and non-violence. But what has happened in the last four years? Today, falsehood, hatred, anger and violence are the order of the day. Those who raise their voice against this face the wrath of the Modi government,” she said.
“What happened to Modi ji ‘s slogan ‘ Na khaunga, na khane dunga’ [would not take bribes, nor let anyone do so] as the roots of corruption have become deeper under his watch,” said Ms Gandhi.
“We will fight unitedly the directionless, anti-people Modi government, which has made false promises and betrayed the people.”
Talking about women safety, the UPA chairperson said even little girls were not safe and home makers were having a hard time mananging household budgets because of price rise.
”I am confident that the voice raised at the rally at the historic Ramlila Maidan will resonate across every household and our fight will be successful in the days to come,” Ms. Gandhi said.
