NEW DELHI: The Congress today released a ‘Black Paper’ listing ten years of injustice by the Bharatiya Janata Party led NDA government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The ‘Black Paper’ was released by the party president Mallikarjun Kharge at a press conference, in presence of senior leaders Naseer Hussain and Pawan Khera. The black paper graphically lists in detail the failures of the BJP government in fulfilling its promises.
Referring to Modi’s guarantees being advertised in various media ahead of elections, Kharge reminded him of his earlier guarantees like providing two crore jobs every year and doubling the income of the farmers, which he never fulfilled.
The Congress president accused the BJP government of intimidating the donors by using ED and CBI to generate funds through electoral bonds. He asked, if the donors were really driven by the BJP’s ideology, why didn’t the party (the BJP) get the same amount of donation ten years ago.
Kharge alleged that the same money was being used to destroy democracy while pointing out 411 MLAs were “bought” by the BJP during the last ten years to replace the opposition governments in states like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
Kharge said, it was quite unbecoming of Modi the way he spoke in the parliament. He observed that the Prime Minister has to be statesmanlike and spell out his agenda for future while listing his past achievements and not the way Modi speaks.
The Congress president referred to unemployment and price rise in particular during the last ten years of the BJP rule, besides the way it destroyed democracy in the country by misusing agencies like the ED and the CBI.
Kharge said, the unemployment levels were highest in the country. He said the Modi government had destroyed the public sector, which provided jobs to everyone with provision of reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC.
Kharge added that the rural unemployment was also at its worst as the Modi government had massively slashed the allocations under MGNREGA. He said the non-BJP states were discriminated against as funds were delayed and denied to them.
Kharge observed that the central government can control inflation of the essential commodities, but it failed to do so. He alleged that here also the government benefited some big industrialist funds, who use the inflation to their advantage. He said, when the prices rise in the country they start importing goods. So much so, he alleged, these importers keep their ships in the sea and wait for the prices to rise and only then they unload the goods.
Countering Modi’s charge that the Congress was trying to divide the country on the basis of North-South, Kharge said, it was the issue of funds allocation only. He reminded Modi that when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he had levelled similar charges against the UPA government at the centre. Besides, he accused Modi of dividing people by resorting to provocative speeches and instigating riots.
The Congress president also referred to the role of the state governors under the BJP, who he alleged, were acting like the dictators of the state. He said the governors were having the brief to only cooperate in the BJP ruled states and destabilise the non-BJP governments.
On farmers’ issues, Kharge reminded Modi of his promise of doubling their income. He said they were not even getting the assured MSP on their crops as had been promised to them.
Kharge said, the Congress is the party of Mahatma Gandhi, who liberated the country from 200 years of British rule. He said, in 2024, the Congress with the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will again liberate the country from the ten years of injustice of the BJP rule.
